New Faces
by Rage908
Summary: New faces are seen every day. And, today folks, we have one at BAU. Now introducing Paige Singer. Hopefully, no one will mind. Or, that's what Hotch is hoping. JJ's leaving took a toll on Reid, what's he gonna be like when someone takes her place? OC/Reid
1. Faces

So, I've been thinking about this for the past 48 hours, so I've decided to write it. Here it is. My Criminal Minds Fan Fiction. Oh boy..

**-WW908**

_Behavioral Analysis Unit_

_Monday, 9:30 P.M._

"Damn."

Papers flew from Agent Hotch's fingertips, and on to the floor. He was in a hurry, trying to get out of the stupid office space before ten o'clock. It seemed stupid for him to have to stay this long, filling out paper work for his boss, who wouldn't even tell him what was going on. He looked through the papers he collected from the floor, and stood up.

"Something wrong, Hotchner?" Director Strauss asked with an irritated tone of voice. Hotch looked up from the paperwork, and grimaced. At least, he thought to himself, she backed off the team.

Like hell, she has. After relentless tries, and fails, to get Hotch away from BAU, he was almost ready to quit. But, he kept that quiet. Naturally. She was a hardcore boss, but, hey, must deal with what you're given. But, sometimes, it's a bit annoying knowing that no one is getting a higher ranking in the FBI no matter what.

"Yeah, what's with the paperwork, here, Strauss?" She glared daggers at him, and finally spoke.

"New faces."

"New faces?"

"That's what I said, Hotchner." She replied. If there were any lady he'd want to hit, it would be her.

"Agent?"

"Wrong. Assistant. She's not qualified quite yet to take on a role as an agent in BAU. She's working on that. Brilliant young woman, around twenty-five or so." She said, while snatching the papers out of Hotch's hands. He let her have them willingly.

"She's arriving here tomorrow. Be ready, Hotch. Good night." She nodded, and exited the building without a second to spare.

"Well, alright." Hotch whispered to himself, getting his coat from his desk, and leaving the building as well.

_**"Keeping secrets in a family never lasts long. Spill it."**_

Hotch was in a bigger hurry than before. He was busting his ass to get himself over to some Pizza parlor that Garcia wanted everyone to go up too. He had finally said he would come to this outing, after getting someone to baby sit Jack. As he pulled into the parking lot, he saw through the window his team, joking around, and getting along. He wondered what this 'new face' could do to his team. He knew the director thought they were sloppy enough, but will she tear anything else? He hoped not.

Who was he to say this, anyway? He didn't like being quick to judge anyone, especially someone he's never met. He was thankful for his wonderful team, which had bonded into a family over time. He was thankful for that, and anyone who would even dare to come between that…well, there'd be consequences.

Hotch parked, then hopped out his car. He walked to the door, and pulled it open swiftly. He walked to the corner table, where his team was sitting.

"Hey, Hotch!" Penelope Garcia shouted when she saw him, coming around the table to give him a hug.

"Hello, Garcia." He nodded friendly to everyone else, and sat down next to Derek Morgan. Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia definitely had a 'thing'. They were always flirting with each other, and always with each other. Plus, they made an interesting couple.

Derek's past always seemed so sketchy to Hotch. He was living in Chicago as a teen, and was pretty much a juvenile delinquent. Apparently, a minister rescued him, and was later convicted as a child molester. He really never talked about that to Hotch.

Penelope was a different case. She lost her parents at a young age, and lived 'off the grid' as a computer hacker. She was offered a job in return for her jail sentence after hacking into some of the FBI's equipment. She's funny, and very reliable.

"Hey there, Hotch, what took you so long?" Said Agent David Rossi, who worked with Hotch in the early days of BAU. He took an early retirement to write books and give lectures on Criminal Investigations, or something of that nature. He and Hotch were pretty close.

"Strauss had me doing paperwork for-" He stopped suddenly. Should he tell them now? Or should it wait until tomorrow?

"What?" Said that youngest of the BAU team, Dr. Spencer Reid. Spencer was an interesting fellow. Graduated from Las Vegas High School at age 12, and holds PhD's in math, chemistry, and engineering. He has an IQ of 187, which turns out to be higher than Albert Einstein's. He has a massive difficulty with talking to girls, and was teased to death in school. His Dad abandoned his mother and him, apparently not being able to deal with Dr. Diana Reid's paranoid schizophrenia.

"Just make damn sure to be in the office tomorrow morning." Hotch said, almost angrily. Spencer looked over at Morgan, who shrugged softly, wondering what had made Hotch so…mad.

"So, Spencer, I heard you had a date with some girl tonight?" Agent Emily Prentiss said, stifling giggles.

"Well…yeah. It didn't work out." Spencer said, taking a sip of his Mountain Dew, and then placing it hard on the table.

"Obviously. You wouldn't be here…." Garcia said boldly.

"It's Spence, Pen. He wouldn't even let it go that far on a first date." Morgan said, also stifling laughs. Spencer sighed.

"Not going so well, Reid?" Hotch asked, giving Spencer a comforting look.

"I think I might as well give up." Spencer looked down at his hands that were sitting in his lap.

"Reid, that is absolute crazy talk." Morgan shook his head, laughing. "First off, we're guys. We don't quit. Especially when it comes to girls. Second, I guarantee you'll find someone you'll fall in love with soon. I promise, buddy." Morgan smiled encouragingly.

"Preach it, hot stuff." Penelope said, smiling so wide, she looked like the Cheshire Cat.

"To somebody else. Face it, I'm just horrible with girls." Spencer sighed, exasperated with him. Hotch and Rossi laughed, and then continued eating the left over pizza crust.

"So, why exactly are we to report to the office space, Hotch?" Garcia asked, a puzzled look sprouting on her face.

"Well, I have a very important announcement." Hotch answered, although hoping no one will ask any further questions.

"Director Strauss got kicked out?" Prentiss asked, laughing. "Whoops, sorry, wishful thinking." This cracked up the whole table.

Before they knew it, it was closing time at the pizza place, and everyone left. Morgan went with Garcia, Prentiss left, then Reid, leaving Rossi and Hotch alone, standing by their cars.

"So, I won't tell anyone. What's got you all worked up?" Rossi asked Hotch, feeling concerned for his friend.

"New face. Assistant. Pretty much filling JJ's spot."

"Reid's not going to take that well. They were almost best friends."

"Tell me about it. But the assistant thing, that's a complete bonus for you, me, and everyone else."

"Don't I know it, Hotchner? Don't I know it." Rossi replied, chuckling sarcastically.

"Well, I better go relieve Shane of her baby sitting duties. Good night, Rossi."

"Night, Hotch." With that last goodbye, each climbed into their vehicles, and sped on home.

Hotch just hoped no one would be mad at him. Not that they should be. But, still.

Rossi just hoped that Reid didn't take it as badly as he took JJ leaving.

Tomorrow could pose as a very interesting day for everyone.


	2. First Case

Thank you to LeedsUK, angellgirl116, Getsemone, and KatiHotchner for the story alerts/favorite stories list. This is dedicated to you.

**-WW908.**

**"_Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down."_**

_B.A.U_

_Tuesday, 8:00 A.M._

"It's almost scary," Penelope Garcia whispered to her 'boyfriend' Derek Morgan, as they entered the building. "How Hotch is just…keeping this a secret."

"It's not for long, Pen. He's telling us this morning. C'mon, baby girl." They walked into their office space, and saw that Emily Prentiss and David Rossi were already there.

"Prentiss, Rossi." Morgan said, greeting his fellow agents.

"Hey guys." Garcia said, her mind obviously still off somewhere else. Prentiss smiled and proceeded to drink her coffee in silence.

"Does anyone know what's going on today?" Doctor Spencer Reid asked from behind them. He came up to them, and set down his own coffee on a table.

"No idea." Rossi said first, followed by a chorus of 'same' from the remaining teammates. Reid shrugged, and then went over to his maps, one of his most favorite things in the world. He was excellent at mapping, very skilled at it. He smiled to himself, as his eyes glazed over the map of the country. It always seems like it's his own domain, nothing anyone can take away from him. Especially not the people he worked with, he thought sarcastically.

"Everyone here?" Agent Aaron Hotchner said, as he hurriedly walked into the office space, and set down his own coffee as well. His team lined up in front of him, which made him smile. He really had no idea what their director was talking about. His team was perfect.

"Well, as you all know, our very…_special_…director had JJ leave the team." Hotch gazed down at his feet for a few moments, waiting for that line to sink in. Spencer Reid shifted uncomfortably. JJ was his best friend, and he missed her. He absolutely hates that. Reid bit his lip, and waited for Hotch to continue.

"Anyway, it's was terrible having her leave, but we have a new face to look at." Hotch grinned, trying to lift the spirits of his team. "This, everyone, is Miss Paige Singer."

The girl who was apparently standing in the corner, unnoticed, came over to stand by Hotch. She had long curly brown hair, and stunning green eyes. Her features were soft, and she was small. Very, very, small.

Spencer Reid snorted, then looked down. Hotch glared at him, but understood his behavior. That was his job, anyway. "Well, Miss Singer, is there anything you'd like to say?"

"Yes, Hotch, thank you. Well, I'm very pleased to meet all of you. I'm really interested in the works of law enforcement, and criminal behavioral patterns. Even if I'm only an assistant, and intern, I'm very dedicated to this job." She smiled, and looked down, shying away from the stares.

"Oh, honey, come here!" Garcia yelled, throwing her arms around Paige Singer. "I'm Penelope Garcia, tech analysis persona!" She giggled, and backed away.

"I'm Derek Morgan, what would you prefer to be called?" Morgan shook hands with Paige Singer, and smiled.

"I'd appreciate being called Singer, if you don't mind, everyone." Everyone nodded, and giggled, besides the obvious 'tough' males.

"I'm David Rossi, nice to meet you, Singer." They shook hands.

"Emily Prentiss, you, me, Garcia, we must go out sometime. Agreed?" Emily said, giving Singer a friendly look.

"Most definitely, Emily." Singer replied.

"I'm Dr. Spencer Reid. Nice to meet you." Reid said dryly. Prentiss and Rossi shot evil glares at him, and he shot them back. So what, he didn't want her here? Goddamn, he thought.

After everyone was back to what they would normally do, Singer was walking around with Hotch, getting used to this place.

"Follow me, Singer, we need to go back to my office to see if we have any cases." They went back to his office, and sifted through loads of case files. Singer found one, and decided to show it to Hotch.

"Perfect, Singer. Let's go inform the others on it." They walked to the office space together, Singer holding the case files. Once they were there, Singer noticed all of them were huddled, looking like a bunch of middle schoolers gossiping on the latest trends.

"Okay everyone, gather 'round." Hotch yelled, and the team assembled around him. "Okay, we got a case in…" He pauses, thinking for a moment. "Where was that again, Singer?"

She laughed, and opened the file folder. "The place is…Addison, Maine. Several woman have been kidnapped, the sum of them being…four. Three of the four died, only one was found, and is still being treated for trauma. The names are Helen Thatcher, Harriet Trout, Haley Thomas, and the one who survived, Harper Tanner. All of them have the initials of H.T., and blonde hair. This is our main lead." She turned to Hotch, and he smiled and looked proud of her.

"Jet will be here in ten. Get ready." With this, he left, calling up Garcia.

Everyone flooded into the jet, and they took off to Maine. Reid and Singer sat across from each other, while the rest of them went to get some sleep. Singer leaned her head against the windows of the jet, and watched the clouds roll by. She sighed, and pulled out her wallet.

Reid eyed her suspiciously. He peered at what she was taking out of her wallet, which was a small picture. She had a small smile, and stared at the picture. Spencer cleared his throat.

"What is it?" He asked, sounding as bored as possible.

"The picture?" He nodded.

"It's a picture of my little brother. His name is Jonas." She handed Spencer the picture, and he took it. He glanced over it and tried to hide his smile. He always wanted a sibling, and at other times, he was grateful for just him and his Mom. Paige watched him curiously, wondering what he was thinking.

"How old is he?" Spencer asks, handing back the picture. She glanced back down on it for a moment before answering.

"He's ten now. He was eight in that. I miss him." She sighed and put the picture back. Spencer ignored her again, looking down at his hands. She clenched her jaw, and breathed heavily for a moment.

"What did I do to you exactly?" She said harshly. Spencer's face changed suddenly. He understood. He looked away sadly, and sighed.

"I'm sorry. I'm just mad that you replaced JJ. She was my best friend." He said, small voice, ashamed that he even treated her like he did.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to replace anyone. But, we can be friends, right?" Singer asked, hopeful he'd say yes. She bit her lip, and smiled. He smiled back.

"Most definitely. I'm so sorry. I should have given you a fair chance. You seem so nice, too."

"Oh, thanks." Her face flushed. "So, tell me about yourself?" She asked, her curiosity beating her miserably. She remembered Morgan saying something about Reid being a genius.

"Let me guess, Morgan, right?" He smiled, and laughed. "Well. I guess I'm what normal people call a 'genius'. I beg to differ, really. My IQ is 187."

"Higher than Albert Einstein's. Incredible." She said, amazed.

"Yeah. I'm surprised you'd even know that."

"I'm pretty smart, myself. Not 187 smart, but…fairly smart." She smirked, and let him continue.

"Well, it was just my Mom and I. She was a professor, very smart lady." He smiled at the memories of his Mother, and then brought his attention back to Singer.

"Was? Did she…pass away?" A look of worry crossed Singer's face.

"No, she just…retired." Reid lied. He shrugged, as if to say no big deal.

The jet landed soon after that. The team went to the local police station, and began their case as soon as they got there. Reid and Singer stayed and worked on mapping out places where this person could be hanging out. Morgan, Rossi, and Prentiss went to the hospital to speak with Harper Tanner. Hotch talked with the Police Chief.

"So, what are you thinking, Singer?" Reid asked her, because he was coming up short of ideas.

"I'm thinking that this has to be a guy. Harper's medical complaints were of brutal abuse. And, according to records on all the other ladies, they were all in their mid twenties, and had blonde hair. They all had scratched up arms and legs, slashes on their backs, etcetera. I'm thinking there has to be an abandoned warehouse, garage, or den, cave, something like that." She shrugged, and smiled. "Just some ideas."

"Maybe this guy could have a problem with one woman, and make it into all these woman. Like, a cheating scandal, or his wife, or girlfriend wanted to leave. He maybe killed her, and killed all of these woman because he thought they were his girl?" Spencer suggested.

"That could be, but we need evidence." She looked through some papers, and finally found something. "Apparently Helen Thatcher had a prescription with her. The Doctor was Doctor Griffith Redknot. Ask Garcia to look up his practice. We can question him, maybe. It's a lead." She shrugged, and Spencer radioed Hotch to come in and here what they had to say.

Hotch agreed it was an interesting finding, and told Morgan, Prentiss, and Rossi. Apparently Harper wasn't allowed visitors yet, so they came back to the station. Hotch had Garcia on speakerphone, and she was talking about Doctor Redknot's practice.

"Morgan, Rossi, go find the practice with the address Garcia gives you, and question him about Helen Thatcher. Anything useful. Prentiss take Singer with you to the hospital and demand to see Harper. Reid, you and me are going to take a look around this town, and the neighboring towns for any places that are suspicious." Hotch explained the game plan to everyone, and everyone left with only the case pulsing through their minds.

Prentiss and Singer finally got a chance to talk to Harper Tanner.

"You must be here about him."

"What he'd do to you, sweetie? We want to make sure it doesn't happen again." Prentiss said, smoothing Harper's hair. Harper looked scared, but she also looked determined to help.

"His name…he said his name was…Tom Heights. He had…blonde hair…one green eye…one…blue?" She sighed. "I'm trying. So hard. Please…know that?" Harper said sadly.

"We know, Harper. We know, honey." Prentiss said, sitting down in a chair. Singer did the same, sitting next to Prentiss.

"He kept me in a warehouse…I think it was outside of this town, though. I'm not sure. I don't know. He kept calling me…Karen…Katie…something." She sighed again, and brushed her hair away.

"Harper, did he have a car?"

"Black pick up. 1500 Dodge Ram." Harper said, as if she had been practicing say it for a long time. "My dad had the same truck."

"Harper, this helps us so, so much." Singer said, congratulating her. Harper smiled, and it actually reached her eyes.

Prentiss and Singer stood up, and promised to keep Harper posted. They left soon after, and drove back to the station. Singer was excited to tell Hotch everything they collected. Prentiss actually told Singer she had to tell Hotch, because she wanted to make sure she could. Singer smiled when Emily told her this.

When they got back, Hotch and Reid were mapping out the distance factor from a warehouse they found on the outskirts of the city.

"That good, Hotch. Harper said she was kept in a warehouse, but he had a black pick up, 1500 Dodge Ram. She said…ah…he said his name was Tom Heights, blonde hair. Kept calling her Karen or Katie."

"Perfect. There was a black truck outside of the warehouse." Reid said, smiling at Singer. He was proud of her, helping out so much on their investigation.

"Rossi, Morgan, anything?"

"Nothing, Doc seemed unrelated to the case." Hotch nodded, thinking about what they should do next.

"Rossi, Prentiss, Morgan, you're with me, we're going to the warehouse."

They soon left, and came back just as quickly. They found the alleged Ton Heights, who was actually identified as Robert Fred. He was married to Karen Fred, who cheated on him, because he was never around, he was always working. His job was a secretary at Doctor Griffith Redknot's practice, and one day, his wife was gone after he came home.

He thought poor Helen Thatcher, a patient, was his wife. That must of started his rampage.

As soon as it came, the case ended, and everyone was piling back into the jet, all tired. Rossi, Prentiss, Morgan, and Hotch went to sleep, and Reid and Singer were left again.

Reid smiled when he saw Singer slowly dozing off as he sat by her. She finally fell asleep, and by some point, her head landed on his shoulder. He smiled, thinking how it seemed so infinitely perfect right there.

He could most definitely get used to this.


	3. My Name Is Jonas

Okay, I was going to do a short Morgan and Garcia chapter, but I'm literally crying out of frustration because my computers are messing up the document. So, this will just be the Chapter. So, guys, I'm sorry to say, but the story will only be updated when I'm at my Dad's house, which is every other week. You're all very lucky that this week is Thanksgiving, because I'm here for Thanksgiving. Anyway, let's get this show on the road before I kill myself.

**-WW908**

**ALSO. I REALLY WANT TO RECOMMEND YOU LISTEN TO 'MY NAME IS JONAS' BY WEEZER WHILE READING THIS. **

**"_Guess what I received in the mail today? Words of deep concern, from my little brother."- Weezer._**

_Homely Places_

_Wednesday, 6:00 P.M._

SSA Derek Morgan took is gun holster off his belt and set it on his coffee table. He sighed; putting his hands over his head and sank into his couch. It had been a long, frustrating case, and all he wanted to do was be here. And with Pen.

He didn't know if he should call her or not. What if she's busy? He worried too much about her. He always made sure to call her every night to check on her, and ask what's up. It was only because he cared so much about his baby girl. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and toyed with it. Should he call her? Maybe ask her if he can swing by. Maybe she's asleep? Wait- no- tonight there's a Blair Witch Project marathon going on, she wouldn't miss that.

He laughed at himself. He thought it hilarious the way he knew her so well. He liked it that way. Being able to predict what she's doing. _Well, _he thought, _it's either that or hacking something._ He set his phone down on the coffee table next to his gun and stood up. He was hungry, and he was also pretty sure there was no food in his kitchen.

He walked away to his kitchen, and rummaged through a drawer, looking for a menu. He found a Chinese Carry-Out menu, and he went back for his phone. Before he even reached his phone, it started ringing. He glanced at the caller I.D. It was one of his very best good friends, Dr. Spencer Reid.

"Now, we better not have a case." Morgan said sternly as he answered the phone. He sank back into his couch and waited for Reid to answer.

"Hilarious. I would shoot myself." Reid replied, adding in a throaty laugh.

"No, seriously, man. What's up? Why are you calling so late?" Morgan asked, chuckling. He checked his watch, and surprisingly enough, it was only seven o'clock. This was unnatural for Reid. He was usually reading at this point.

"Can I…um, can I come over? Just for a few?"

"Uh…yeah, sure why?" Morgan raised his eyebrows, and stood up again. "Where are you?"

"…Outside of your house." Morgan nodded to nothing, as if expecting this.

"Let yourself in." He hung up the phone, as the front door swung open, revealing Reid. Morgan studied him for a minute, and furrowed his brow.

"Reid? Is something wrong?" Reid nodded, and sighed. He closed the door behind him, and plopped down on the couch.

Moments later, the Chinese food showed up, and both guys were shoveling it down.

"I can't take it." Morgan said, setting down his boneless almond chicken and chopsticks.

"What?" Reid says, looking up suddenly, shrimp Lo Mien hanging out of his mouth. He slurped it up into his mouth, and gave off a confused expression.

"You like her."

"Singer?"

"No, Mrs. Clause."

"She _is _married to Santa." Reid replies, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yes, Singer, you moron." Morgan yelled playfully, throwing a napkin at his friend.

"I hardly know her."

"Then get to know her." Morgan smiled, and playfully punched Spencer's arm. Spencer moved a bit, shifting uncomfortably.

"How? You know how I freeze up when girls talk to me. Besides, she's…"

"She's what, Reid? Beautiful, smart, friendly, funny, eccentric, smart?" Morgan picked at his food again. "She's everything you need."

"Derek, it's not that simple. I mean, yeah, I really do like her. But, I just…she probably doesn't like me. Why should she?" Reid said, a depressing tone of voice leaking through his usual carefree tone.

"Reid." Morgan said with sudden emotion. "Reid. You aren't the same person you were before. You've been through a lot. You're the one who told me 'I know what it's like to be afraid of your own mind'. Reid." Morgan touched Reid's shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"I was beaten, I was scared, and I wasn't brave. I was afraid. I was addicted. I went behind your back!" Reid yelled, standing up suddenly. "I WAS ADDICTED." He screamed. Morgan stood up with him, and put both hands on Reid's shoulders.

"Spencer. You came to us and admitted. It wasn't your fault you became addicted. It wasn't your fault your mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia. It's not you. It's life." Morgan said quietly. "You need her. She needs you."

Reid sucked in a quick, shallow breath.

"What if she's just as broken?" Morgan thought aloud. Reid stared at him for a few minutes, and sat back down.

"I want to know Paige Singer." Spencer Reid said, and he intended to keep the promise.

**"_The family that preys together, stays together." – Criminal Minds: Sociopath, Serial Killers, and Other Deviants by Jeff Mariotte._**

_B.A.U_

_Thursday, 7:00 A.M._

The next morning, Morgan and Reid walked in together, and to their desks.

"Reid, you got any bottles of water in that messenger bag of yours?"

"That would be a no." Spencer said, setting down his bag when he got to his desk. Morgan came over to Reid's desk, and smiled.

"So." Morgan said, hinting at what they talked about last night.

"You're making this worse than it already is, Derek." Spencer told him, getting up from his desk, and making his way toward the bathrooms.

"Spencer." Rossi said, walking past him.

"Yes?" Spencer stopped quickly, backing up to talk to David Rossi.

"You okay?"

"Fine."

"Just checking, kid." Rossi patted Reid's shoulder, and walked off. Spencer watched him go, wondering why everyone was so obsessed with his feeling lately. He shrugged and began to walk back to the desks.

Hotch came out of his office, and rounded everybody up. Behind him, Paige Singer was standing, holding the case file. Paige seemed scared, almost. She had this blank fear in her eyes, which made Spencer shudder. Her long wavy brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, but some curls hit her face, sticking to it. She gritted her teeth as she followed everybody to the conference room.

"As you know, we get many cases, and we have Singer go through them now." Hotch started to explain. He cleared his throat, and looked away from the group. "We sadly found a case that needs to be solved. Immediately." Hotch looked to Singer. "Would you like to take over?"

She shook her head, but said she would brief everyone on the jet. Reid watched her walk off, and wondered what was wrong.

_The Jet_

_Thursday, 8:00 A.M._

"We are going to Chicago, Illinois." She sighed. "My hometown."

Singer was briefing everyone on the jet for the team's newest case. "According to this, many kids from the ages of eight to twelve have been disappearing. Three have been reported missing this week, their names being Patrick Dharma, aged eight." She glanced up at the team. She gulped, and continued. "Granger Harris aged nine. And, J-Jonas…Singer. Aged…ten."

The team gasped.

"Oh God." Reid said. "No." Spencer walked over to Paige, who was currently holding back tears, her hand covering her mouth.

"Paige, I promise we'll find him." Spencer whispered to her, smoothing her hair, and trying to comfort her.

"I'm not finished." She stated, letting him back away, for her to finish. "They all disappeared in a five hour radius from each other. Patrick Dharma was at a local park, so we should probably search there. Granger was taken from his front yard. Parents both in the house. And…Jonas. He was…taken by force…from his…my…_our_…Mother. More details at the station." Paige closed the file folder she held in her slim hands, and went to sit in the back of the jet.

Paige breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself. Spencer noticed her, and left the group to go sit with her.

"Can I sit with you?" Spencer asked, scaring her a little. She nodded nervously. He sat down next to her, and let himself stare at her. He really thought she was beautiful. Her small nose, the way her eyes changed in the different lighting, the way the natural highlights of her hair glistened in the sun.

"Paige," He said, waiting for her to look at him. She did, and smiled slightly. "Paige, it's going to be okay." When she didn't answer, he bit his lip, then decided to tell her something. "I know what it's like to be kidnapped. I was…a while ago. And, I got into some trouble. Drug trouble…and…it's hard, but it you have someone to support you like you support Jonas…he'll be fine."

"Spencer, kids that are kidnapped are usually dead within the first forty-eight hours." She replied, dropping her eyes to the floor of the jet. "Spencer?"

"Yeah?"

"I…I need to work on the case with you guys. I can't sit on the sidelines for this one. Not when it involves Jonas." She looked at him seriously, and made sure to make eye contact. "I'm not letting him slip through some crack." She whispered.

"Okay. You can, but you aren't allowed to carry around a gun, so you'll always have to be with another agent. Got it?" Spencer said sternly, and slowly, making sure she knew he was being very serious.

"I understand." Paige nodded, and smiled. "Why would they take these kids? I'm trying to think of possible physiological reasons. But, really, nothing comes to mind." She sat up, and put on her business voice.

"These kids, do they have anything else in common besides the age range and the five hour disappearance?" Spencer asked, trying to formulate his own hypothesis.

"They all have dark hair, dark eyes. According to the pictures of these kids, they are all slim, and look pretty active. Nothing really stands out about this case."

"Well, Hotch said that the families are waiting at he station, so we can get more from that. Especially you're Mother."

"Why do you say that?"

"Jonas was taken by force, correct?" Paige nodded, waiting for him to proceed. "Well, that means that she at least tried to retrain the UnSub. Which means, she could have a profile." Spencer suggested, but to him, it was just wondering out loud, nothing seemed illogical, but nothing seemed to fit, either.

"True. When I talk with her, could you be there with me? I mean, you said I have to be with an agent," She looked down. "Could I be with you? I mean I know you the most right now, and…yeah." She blushed.

"Of course." Spencer smiled. He looked over his shoulder. "Here's Hotch." He whispered to Paige.

"Singer, Reid." Hotch greeted as he sat down across from them. "Singer. I'm sorry about this, and I know you want to help, but you aren't a qualified agent yet." Hotch explained, feeling sorry for Paige all over.

"What if she stayed with me for the case, Hotch? She's useful." Spencer said, trying to bait Hotch into their plan.

"Well…okay. Just make damn sure nothing happens to her, Reid." Hotch commanded, and stood up.

"Yes, sir." Reid said, smiling. Hotch walked away, and began talking to Rossi.

"Reid." Singer whispered, her voice many octaves lower than usual.

"Yeah?"

"You didn't have to tell me that."

"That?"

"That…being kidnapped and addicted to drugs." She said carefully.

"It's okay, I wanted you to know."

"I am glad you told me." She sighs. "Thanks for trusting me. I know you're still sad about JJ."

"I am, but it's better to look at the bright side."

Spencer Reid smiled at Paige Singer, and savored the moment.

**"_In the end, family is all we have."- Almost any adult._**

_The Singer Residence_

_Thursday, 10:00 A.M._

"Hi, Mrs. Singer. I'm Dr. Spencer Reid, and I'm sure you know your daughter." Reid greeted a terrified looking woman at the station. She looked him up and down, then saw her daughter. She pushed Reid out of the way and engulfed Paige in a hug. She kissed Paige's cheeks then turned to face Reid again.

"Paige…what happened?" Her mother whimpered, looking up miserably at her daughter. Paige tried to smile, but it faltered and withered away.

"You tell me, Mom. You saw the UnSub if Jonas was taken by force." Paige pulled her Mom to a cluster of seats and told her to sit down. Her mother obliged, but was far away, thinking.

"He looked so familiar, Paigey." She crooned, sounding like a loony lady. Paige rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Who, Mom?" Paige demanded, knowing her Mom knew who it was. Her Mother grimaced and stared at Paige for a few moments.

"That ungrateful idiot you call a father." She spat, hate filling her eyes. Paige scowled, and walked away from her Mother. Reid turned to Mrs. Singer and looked at her apologetically.

"She does love you and Jonas." He told her. Her Mom sighed and chuckled.

"I know she does. She's just frustrated."

"So, you say it's her Dad?"

"Yes. He's been trying to get at the kids since Paige was fourteen years old. He has a black SUV, by the way." Reid nodded, biting his lip carefully.

"Thank you, Mrs. Singer."

"Can I go home now?"

Reid nodded and watched as the lady stood and walked out of the stations doors. As soon as she left, Paige came back and sat next to him. She nudged him with her elbow and smiled as best she could.

"Ready?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. Reid nodded his head, and stood, following Singer to Hotch.

_***"Biological. Now, that's a big word."- Unknown.**_

_Chicago Police Department_

_Thursday, 1:00 P.M._

At the station, everyone was waiting for Paige to give the profile. She didn't want to turn in her own Father, but Jonas was a big enough prize. She knew why he had done this. But she also knew there was more to it this time around. And, where the hell was her Mom? No one had heard from her since she left the station.

"The UnSub we are looking for is a white male, late forties. He's not looking to hurt anyone. He just wants his son back. Since he was kicked out a while back, in his mind, it's a replay. He just keeps thinking of that day, and how he never got to see his kids. He's not harmful. If you find him, he needs to go in to immediate questioning for the Mother of the child, who is also currently missing." Paige concluded the profile, then sat down with her team at a table.

"I feel stupid." She said bluntly. Everyone laughed.

"You can't help the fact that he's your father." Prentiss said reassuringly. Paige looked off out a window, but still couldn't shake the helpless feeling she had.

"We need to get him. Did Garcia run that test, Reid?" Hotch asked him.

"Yeah, she found him and his SUV. Okay, she found an address to go with it, but I'm not sure that's where he is." Reid handed over his phone with the texted coordinates in it. Hotch nodded, and texted everyone else the coordinates.

"It's a lead. Okay, Reid, Singer, your time to shine. I want you two on the house. Prentiss, Morgan, Rossi, we'll be back up for them. Let's go."

"Hotch, wait. It might be dangerous, putting them on the house." Morgan said, with deep concern.

"He's not violent, and all he wants is his kids. If he sees Paige, and a gun, he'll give up quickly." Hotch explained, then quickly, him, Prentiss, and Rossi took one car.

"He's right, you know. I am pretty tough, Derek." Paige said, smiling at Derek. They left as well, driving to a small ugly, yellow house.

"Okay, You take back, I'll take the front." Reid said to Paige, who was unarmed, and excited. When she turned to leave, he stopped her. "Paige," He whispered. "Please be careful." She nodded, and went around back.

There was a back door, and she noticed that a light was on way above her head, coming through a window. She grunted, then reached out to open the handle.

She carefully began to turn it, but then, a hands clasped over her mouth, and dragged her away. She was finally hit on the head, hearing a chorus of whispered 'I'm sorry', and knocked unconscious. She was dragged away from the house, and what felt like over some rocky terrain.

The last thing she could hear, is the soft rumbling of an engine starting up.

_**"Hold him in your arms, yeah, you can feel his disease."- The Beatles.**_

"Clear."

Spencer Reid looked down in shame. "I cannot believe he got away with her."

"Spence, it's okay." Morgan said. "She was unarmed, and alone. We didn't hear anything up front, either."

"Hotch!" Prentiss yelled from the back of the house. Rossi, Morgan, Reid and Hotch ran out to meet her in the back.

"What?" Hotch said, his voice was angry and frustrated.

"Footprints. He…left footprints." Prentiss shouted, sounding rather excited. She wanted to find Paige fast, so she could make sure nothing happened to her.

The team followed the footprints, hoping they could find their friend.

_**"Ask yourself this question, 'Will this matter a year from now?'"- Richard Carlson**_

"Paige."

No luck.

"Paige. Wake up, honey."

She's not budging. Wait. Paige Singer's head rolls back, and her eyes a tiny slits. She opens one, and then works on the other until she regains control of them. She next works on her neck. She pulls her head up, and looks around the room. It's dimly lighted, and as far as she can tell, no one in there. She turns her head slightly to her right, and there's a boy.

"Jone. Jonas?" She said, meaning it to be coming out harder, but it came out in a whisper.

"He's there." Someone said. She shifted herself to look to her left, at the person who said it.

"Who are you?" She whispered.

"Your Father, of course. Are you pain? Oh my god, you're in pain! Oh my god, oh my god…you need something…you need to take something!" The man stood up and started pacing. He stopped, and briskly walked over to a workbench. He grabbed, what looked like, a plastic bag of the table, and came back to Paige.

"Wh- what is it?" She said, trying to concentrate her eyes on the bag. He pulled out a syringe and a smaller bag of…what was that? No. Paige began squirming and tried screaming, but her lungs wouldn't give her the air.

"It'll help."

"I don't want it!"

"You want it. You want it. You told me." The man said calmly.

"W-when?"

"When you were groaning in pain." He finished putting together the drug, and grabbed her arm. She squirmed, trying to break his grip. She knew this would happen, she knew this would happen!

"No…no…" She tried fighting back, but it was useless. He held her arm tighter and tighter, until she couldn't feel it.

All she could feel was the fuzzy feeling she had when the needle went into her veins, causing her to squirm more. He pulled the needle back out, and set it all back into the baggie. She felt the drug spreading through her veins, her blood. Then she knew what drug it was. This was the same.

Jonas was just born when it happened the last time. When her mother told him to get out, when he refused. He strapped Paige down in order to get her to even listen to his last words (or so she thought at the time would be his last words to her). When she wouldn't let him say anything, he decided to calm her down using Heroin. He claimed it helped him over the years.

And as soon as he left, leaving a whole bag of this terrible stuff next to her, she became a Heroin addict at age fourteen.

_**"It's ALWAYS the footprints."- McKenna V.**_

"Footprints turn into tire tracks here, Hotch." Prentiss said, when they reached the end of the drive.

"Spencer, call Garcia. Maybe she can pick up a trace on it." Spencer dialed Penelope's number, his fingers shakily holding the phone.

"Hello, my pretty." Garcia answers, a normal Garcia answer.

"Hey, Garcia. Paige is…missing."

"Oh, God. Spencer. What happened?" Garcia asked hurriedly, her voice loud and wavering.

"We're thinking her Dad took her along with Jonas. I need you to try and trace her cell."

"I can try." Garcia's mad typing filled the background. "I'll get back to you, Reid. Reid. She's fine. It's going to be okay." Reid rubbed his forehead, and sighed.

"I hope so. See you later, Garcia." Reid hung up the phone, and went back to the group.

"This is difficult." Rossi said.

"I asked Pen to track her cell, but I'm sure it'll be no use unless she gets a call." Reid said, obviously missing the point. Everyone stared at him.

"Reid. Call her."

"Oh…right." Reid dialed Paige's number, and waited as it rang. He knew she wouldn't answer. He sighed, and hoped Pen got that. He hung up, and waited for Pen to call him back.

His phone rang, and he answered it, already knowing it would Pen. "You." The voice on the other line said. It definitely wasn't Penelope.

"Who is this?"

"She's mine. They both are mine."

"Where are you?"

"She's mine!" The man yelled, and it sounded as if he started crying. He then hung up, and very soon after that, Pen called Spencer.

"Pen, did you get that?"

"He's in an abandoned house. Sending you the directions now." Pen yelled hurriedly, as Spencer jogged over and told everyone else.

"Thanks Pen." He hung up, and got into a car with Prentiss and Hotch. Morgan and Rossi went into another one.

_**"Guess what I received in the mail today, words of concern, from my little brother"- Weezer**_

Paige couldn't feel her limbs, which scared her. But her Dad was gone, and now she was alone with Jonas. Jonas's eyes wandered over to his sister, whose head was faced down, and eyes closed. Her arms sat in her lap as if they were placed there on purpose. He attempted to talk to her, not knowing what the outcome would be. He tried talking to other kids, and that hadn't worked out, because they all looked the same and were dead.

"Paige?"

"Yeah?" She said groggily, trying to lift her head up. Her muscles were sore and she had no strength. It was useless.

"You came back for me?"

"…I will always come back for you Jonas. I'm so sorry this happened." Jonas didn't answer; he just let the tears slip out of his eyes. Paige couldn't help but let herself cry, too. Would they ever just come? They were so good at their job, why couldn't they find her?

Suddenly, she heard a door slam. Both Jonas and her looked up, and at each other. Paige was desperately trying to stand up, but she couldn't. Her legs were tied to the legs of the chair.

"FEDERAL AGENTS!" Someone yelled from upstairs. Paige couldn't believe her joy; she started crying again.

"Jonas." She said weakly. "Yell. Say down here. Say something." Jonas nodded, and then started screaming his lungs off. If Paige could cover her ears, she would of.

She heard feet stampeding down the stairs, and her eyes clouded with tears. She felt someone untying the ropes that held her down.

"Paige?" She nodded, and tried standing up, with the help of Spencer Reid. They smiled at each other, then hugged. She squeezed him tightly, and he did the same. He kissed the top of her head, and held her for as long as he could.

"Reid, help me with the kid." Morgan said, Reid pulled away from Paige, and turned to help the kid.

Paige glanced over, and saw the baggie of the drug. She grabbed it, and stuffed it in her pocket, which was just big enough. She smiled, as if nothing happened, and followed the Agents back up stairs, and outside. She insisted that Jonas go to the hospital, but she'd be fine.

Maybe it was just her, but it felt like everyone was staring at her. And she hated that.

**_"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."- Maria Robinson._**

After Jonas was let out of the hospital, it was now time to figure out: Where had his mother gone?

The answers always lie clear.

Their Dad had killed her. She was in a closet at the abandoned house. Paige Singer was Jonas Singer's only known guardian, so she accepted the challenge of keeping him. Hotch promised her, when things were tight on schedule, the kid could come to work with her. When they had a case, he could stay with Pen, or go to the station. But, he was never allowed to repeat anything heard, and was not allowed to go to crime scenes.

"Trust me, I don't want to know what happens to those people." Jonas said, cracking everyone up.

Jonas Singer had taken some important things from his old house, and his clothes, to go stay with his sister. He was quite excited for a kid who just lost everything. He actually did love his sister.

"So, Jonas, I'm Spencer Reid." Spencer introduced himself last when they got back to the jet.

"I'm Jonas. Nice to meet you." They shook hands, and Paige smiled. "Can I go lay down on the couch? I'm tired." Jonas asked, pointing to the couch across from them. Hotch nodded, and Jonas went to take a nap. Paige slid into the seat next to Spencer, and bit her lip.

"Thank you." She said, and leaned against him. He smiled, and put his arms around her.

"Your very welcome." He said, making her smile.

Jonas peeked up, and saw Spencer and Paige. He smiled, and glad that she was happy. He sighed, and fell asleep on the couch, on the way to his new home in Quantico, Virginia.

**So, as you may or may not notice, but this chapter is VERY different from the original. I just happened to like this one more. So, yeah. Just thought I'd let you guys know that.**


	4. Happiness Is A Warm Gun

**Fourth chapter of New Faces! **** Hope you like it!**

**-WW908**

_**"Happiness is a warm gun."- The Beatles**_

_Singer Apartment_

_Friday, 9:00 P.M._

Paige and Jonas Singer arrived home very late. It was maybe 9 or 10 o'clock, and both of them were tired. Paige yawned, while towing Jonas's things behind her. She was indeed very tired, and very…itchy. She raised her eyebrow at her living room in her small apartment, and dropped what she was holding. Jonas's bag tumbled to the ground before her, and she began scratching her arm. When she looked down, nothing was on her arm, but it felt like there was. She shrugged, and picked the bag back up.

"Jonas, I have an extra room that you can take. We can decorate it at some point. Here's your stuff." Paige said tiredly, pointing him in the direction of the former guest room. After he shut his door, she glanced to her own bedroom door. For some reason, she was sort of afraid to enter, and decided to sit on the couch for minute. She was extremely light headed. She yawned, and stretched out on the couch. She smiled contently, and shut her eyes. _Just for a moment,_ she thought lazily.

Her phone rang immediately after that. She groaned, and sat up in an instance. She pulled her phone out of her blue jeans pocket, and answered it, without checking caller I.D.

"Singer." She said, in a plain and solid monotone voice. She sniffled, and stood up, stretching her legs.

"Hey, it's Spencer." She waited, thinking he was going to say something else. "Well, are you and Jonas okay?" She smiled briefly; happy he called just to ask that.

"Yeah, Reid, we're fine. Thanks for calling." She told him, sitting back down.

"Garcia wanted me to call and ask if you two wanted to come over for a 'sleep over'." Reid said, sounding a little bemused.

"Is that appropriate? No pranks, no nude, no sex, swearing, R rated films, Porn, etcetera?" She said, sounding worried. Of course, she wanted to go dearly, but Jonas was probably already asleep.

"Pen said it was a kid friendly party. She wants everyone to get to know you two better, she says. And, if Jonas is already asleep, he can sleep in her bedroom while we sleep in the living room. Come on. I'm going. And, that's a big one." He joked, amusing Paige effortlessly.

"Yeah, okay, I'll be there in a few. Text me the address. I'll fire up the Mustang."

"Mustang? That's…"

"Hot? I know." She smirked at the phone, and hung up, waiting for the text message. It came without a second to lose, and she went to back a bag for herself.

She creaked Jonas's door a little, and saw he was reading _The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland_. She smiled at her brother, who often reminded her of Reid. Jonas smiled at her, and waved her in. "Sleep over? I'm in." He said, obviously knowing what she was there for. She smirked, and looked over his bed. He already had a bag packed.

"You little…" She was at a loss for words, but Jonas knew what she meant.

"Smart kid, right?"

"Those are the words I'm looking for." She rolled her eyes, and told him to come out and get his jacket and shoes on. He did so, and they took off in the beautiful red '64 Mustang. She was the proud owner.

_*** "Mother superior jump the gun."- The Beatles**_

_Garcia's Apartment_

_Friday, 9:45 P.M.  
_

Jonas knocked on the door while Paige pulled her insane curls into a ponytail.

"Hey there!" Pen said as she thrust the door of her apartment open.

"Hello, Miss Garcia." Jonas said all to politely.

"It's Pen, kid." Jonas smiled, and Garcia let him through to say hi to everyone else. "Hey, Paige. You feeling all right?"

"Fine. Let's go." Paige said, gesturing to the apartment. She smiled, and put on her happy face. The two ladies walked into the living room, where Reid was doing what looked like a Sudoku puzzle. Morgan was waiting for his baby girl; Prentiss was looking through Garcia's extensive DVD collection.

"No Hotch and Rossi?" Paige asked, disappointed.

"No, they went to go get some Chinese." She said cheerfully, Paige laughed, and took off her oversized sweatshirt. She was already wearing some gray flannel pajama pants, and a black tank top, with a white three quarter sleeve hoodie. She put her bag on the floor next to where Jonas had set his, and left her jacket on top of it.

Jonas and Reid were still going at the puzzle, so she decided to assist Emily with the movies. Paige sat down by Emily, and greeted her.

"Hey, girl! Want to help me?"

"Sure, what are we into tonight?" Paige said, scanning the movies. "She has all six Star Wars? I'm a Star Wars geek!" Paige laughed, and pulled out the stack. "I haven't seen these in decades! I'll have to ask to borrow them!" She laughed gleefully, and set them down next to her.

"I'm more of a Star Trek person myself, but I love both!" Prentiss giggled at her nerd side, but so did Paige.

"No horror, or R rated. Jonas is here." Paige warned Emily, who said she already ruled both out. Garcia doesn't really own any of the two.

"What about The Patriot?" She suggested, holding up the DVD box, that showed a rugged, and very hot, Mel Gibson. Paige's eyebrows shot up, and she grinned. She nodded, and both girls stood up. That's when Paige noticed that everyone else was in his or her pajamas as well. Prentiss was wearing long silk red pajama pants with a red cotton shirt. So, extremely Prentiss.

"Can Jonas watch it?"

"Please, the kid knows the script." Paige said, rolling her eyes. Emily laughed, and went over to talk to Garcia about it. Paige followed her with her eyes, but went to go sit with Jonas and Spencer.

Spencer smiled when he saw Paige coming to sit down. He thought she look cute with her pajamas on. He laughed, as she sat down next to him and leaned on him a little bit. Not so much obvious, but still, he liked to know she was hinting at something.

"What are we doing?" She asked.

"Sudoku." Jonas said, showing her the half done puzzle. "You loved these." He said quietly. She bit her lip, and nodded. Jonas pulled it back away from her, and continued solving it. Spencer turned to her, and looked at her eyes.

He almost jumped back. They were so empty, and…just nothing. The green in her eyes was hardly visible. He furrowed his brow, and then leaned in closer to her.

"Are you okay?" He asked her in a pleading tone.

"Fine." She whispered. He leaned away a little bit, and shook off the bad feeling. He smiled at her, and scooted a little closer. She let him willingly.

"So, Paige."

"Dr. Reid." He cringed at the name. It sounded so official. "Sorry," She said, obviously seeing his reaction. "Spence." She smiled innocently.

"Yeah." He gulped, and knew it was just about time. He could see his co-workers leaning into hear their conversation. He knew what _that _was all about. Come one, how could he forget?

"_So," Morgan had said to him, after Paige and Jonas left. "Paige?"_

_ "What about her?" Reid had asked him, glaring up from his chair. He gulped; he knew Morgan could have figured it out already. He definitely liked Paige. _

_ "You like her. A lot. I can tell. Why don't you ask her out?" Morgan said, leaning on Reid's desk. He shrugged, and smiled friendly. _

_ "What if she says no?"_

_ "Reid, come on, man. She's so not going to say no." Morgan said, fake punching his buddy. _

_ "Who's not going to say no, hot stuff? Cause, you know, I really love nice dates." Pen had said, after eavesdropping for a few moments a couple feet away from them. Garcia smiled, and stood by Derek._

_ "Pen, you and me, we got a date. Its Spencer we're trying to help this time." Morgan explained to his girlfriend. It wasn't technically a secret, but no one else really knew the whole dirty truth besides Spencer. Everyone had their suspicions._

_ "Oh, Paige? Paige won't say no, sweets." Penelope told Reid, tapping his arm playfully. "She really likes you."_

_ "She told you?" Reid said, sounding like a desperate puppy dog._

_ "Sort of." Garcia said, shrugging. Reid slumped in his seat, and sighed. _

_ "I don't think it's going to work." _

_ "I do. I'll even set up a party tonight at my place for you to have some time to do it! But, you have to make sure everyone's there." She smiled. "Everyone wants to watch." She clapped, and jumped up and down._

_ "Not helping, Garcia." Morgan whispered in her ear, which made her immediately stop. They both grinned at Reid. He shrugged, grabbed his bag, and said he'd be there._

Spencer watched Penelope and Derek talk, and watch him. In a way, it was reassuring. In a way, it wasn't.

"What, Reid?" Paige asked, sitting next to him, confused.

"Hm? Oh, Paige."

"Yes, Spencer?" She said, giggling a little.

"I was wondering…if you'd like to go on a date with me sometime?" Paige slowly grinned, and laughed. _Is that good, or bad?_ Spencer thought to himself.

This had caught Jonas's attention. He really wanted Paige and Spencer to go out. They'd be a good couple, not only that, but they'd treat Jonas like a son. Jonas smiled at the thought, and looked at his sister, who was currently smiling like a dumb idiot. He smiled, and turned away, giving them some privacy. He bit his lip, and waited for Paige to say something back to Spencer.

"Well, Spence, I don't know," She said, obviously teasing him. His own smiled faltered, and he ran a hand through his hair nervously.

"Oh, well." He said, searching for words. "That's fine…I understand." He sighed, and tried to laugh. He felt extremely sad, and started to get up. Paige pulled on his hand, making him fall down next to her. She scooted as close as she could to him, and kissed his cheek.

"I'd absolutely love to go on a date with you, Spencer Reid." She grinned, and pecked his cheek again. He smiled like an idiot, who didn't know what to do. He felt elated, and extremely superior. He did it! He finally asked her out! And! She! Said! Yes!

He jumped up, and told her he'd be right back. She smiled, and nodded, and told him she'd be right here. When he left, Jonas smiled at her. He was incredibly happy that she said yes to Spencer. Spencer and Jonas were like best friends, and Jonas was going to be very pissed if she hadn't said yes. He set the puzzle down and climbed over to his sister.

"So, you and Spencer?" He says, smirking.

"You know, little kid, it's past your bed time." She smirks back, and he sighs, standing up.

"Well, goodnight, Harley!" Paige cringed at the old nickname, and patted his back. He smiled, and left to go to Penelope's room. Paige pursed her lips, and thought about the name for a second. Her Dad used to call her Harley. He was an avid motorcyclist.

A few minutes later, she was still staring off into space, and thinking, when Spencer came back and sat by her. He nudged her, and she looked back at him, blinking for a few minutes.

"Something wrong, Paige?" Spencer asked, pulling her a little closer to him. She tried laughing a little, and actually looked at Spencer Reid for a minute. His hair was getting a little long, and it was beautifully curly. She couldn't help but reach out and touch it. She smiled, and giggled, bringing her hand back down.

She also noticed Spencer wasn't wearing pajama's like the rest of them; he was in jeans, though. Something she rarely saw him in. He was also just wearing a black tee shirt that fit him perfectly. She pulled her legs up, and hugged them to her chest. She sighed, and leaned on his shoulder.

"Nah, I'm fine. Jonas just said something that threw me off for a second." She confessed, which was new. She doesn't really say much about that sort of thing to peers. She wouldn't even tell Morgan and Rossi what happened that night when they asked. She just said that Jonas was to be escorted to the hospital.

"What did he say?" Spencer said, that cute confused look crossing his face. She loved that look, it was just adorable.

"Oh…" She pulled herself away from him quickly. "He just called me a nickname I haven't heard in a while." She looked up at Spence's face, and noticed his lips twitching.

"Harley?" He asked very quietly. He looked down at her, meeting her eyes. Paige looked down, and curled her toes in her socks.

"Y-yeah. How'd you know?"

"Your Dad kept calling you that when we arrested him…" Spencer said, making sound as if it wasn't a big deal. Her own lips twitched, anticipating what she should say next.

"Oh…" She was going to finish, but she was cut off by Pen trying to get everyone's attention to the front of her living room. She and Derek were standing up in the front, but he was holding a bucket of what looked like Egg Rolls. _Hotch and Rossi must be back, _she thought.

"Okay, for tonight's entertainment starter, I have an announcement!" Penelope grinned, and looked at Spencer and Paige sitting on the couch. Paige knew where this was going to go. Her face fell, and her eyes widened.

Derek finished his Roll, and set the bucket down. "Our good friend, Dr. Spencer Reid, has finally gotten a date!" Everyone laughed and clapped, and Paige hid her face in Spencer's shoulder, laughing herself.

"And, we're sure you guys can guess with who, but, we'll tell you for the effect!" Pen said cheerfully, and ran over to stand in front of Paige. Paige glanced up at Pen, who was now pulling her up off the couch. "We have her here, Miss Paige Singer!" Again, everyone clapped, and laughed. Paige's face was red, and Garcia hugged her. "Congrats, girl." She smiled cockily, and let Paige sit back down.

"Better not let that get in the way of your jobs." Hotch grumbled, Rossi chuckling while eating boneless almond chicken.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Hotch." Spencer answered, allowing himself to smile.

"For once, Spence, you finally do have plans on a weekend!" Morgan congratulated him sarcastically, coming up and punching him in the arm.

"And, Paige! Aren't you lucky?" He smiled, shaking her hand.

"You are definitely full of it, Derek." She laughed, standing up to get something to eat.

After the whole laughter died down, she finally got around to finding some left over sticky rice, which was fine with her. But, she was hungry as hell, and she deserved to eat. She was excited, so that also had some affect. But, mainly, she needed to eat.

Penelope had decided to put on The Patriot; all of the girls were drooling over Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger. Derek and Penelope were snuggled up beneath a huge red blanket, Hotch had left a few minutes prior to the movie, and Prentiss was sitting on the couch. Rossi was on the other end, but had decided to not stay the night; apparently he had a date tomorrow morning. Spencer and Paige were sitting on the ground, playing a quiet game of poker with a can of salted peanuts that Paige had brought with her.

Paige glanced up form her cards; she knew she had zero chance of winning. It was still worth a shot. She was trying her best, but she was never a great cards player. She puckered her lips, and folded, letting Spencer take the last of her beautiful salted peanuts. She could almost cry for that, but he shared some with her.

And, after a long, tiresome night, she nodded off to sleep, right on his shoulder. Once again.

_**"Come sit next to me, pour yourself some tea, just like Grandma made when we couldn't find sleep."- Weezer**_

_Singer Apartment_

**_A Few Weeks Later_**

_Monday, 5:00 P.M._

"Paige, are you seriously putting me through this?" Jonas asked her, as she modeled some dark skinny jeans, and a black tee shirt.

"Oh, can it, little one." She snickered, and shrugged at the bathroom mirror. She grabbed her black converse, and put them on. Spence and her had a couple of things in common, one of them being converse.

They had decided to have the date at Spencer's house. Hotch agreed to let Jonas come over to meet Jack, his own son. Smiling at herself, she pulled Jonas out of the apartment, and down to the Mustang. She drove and dropped of Jonas, thanking Hotch over and over. He actually smiled, and told her to have fun. She thanked him again, before climbing back into the car, and driving to Spence's apartment.

Spencer Reid was a mess. After tidying up his place dozens of times, he made sure to just be cool. He was wearing a black button up shirt with a black vest over it, his favorite, and some black pants. He didn't know why he was so nervous, but when he heard a knock on the door, he felt cold. He hoped that was a good sign.

He moved to his door, and breathed heavily before opening it. He let it swing open, and he saw Paige standing there, smiling cheerfully. He moved aside and let her in, holding the door for her. He closed it behind her, and they sat down on his couch. The thing he liked about Paige was that she didn't make it awkward, she went with it. She talked to him, asked him questions, and asked if she could walk around and get to know the place. She noticed on his coffee table, he had a nice new laptop.

"Spence?"

"Yeah?"

"Can…I, uh, use your laptop for a second? I just need to send an e-mail to someone." Paige said, pointing at the laptop, shiny and black, on the coffee table. He shrugged, and told her to go ahead. She grabbed it off the table, and logged into Yahoo! Mail.

**To: **

**From: **

**Message:**

** Hey,**

**It's your favorite cousin! Paige, you remember me, right? Hopefully. I really miss you! Do you miss me? You better! How's NCIS treating you? I'm so close to becoming a full time agent! Oh, yeah, I got a job working with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). I'm merely an assistant. Sigh. But, it's okay! I'm almost there, and I'll be able to carry a gun, and be all amazing! I can't wait! So…confessions time! I'm sorta on a date with a co-worker of mine… His name is Spencer Reid. He's amazing (smiling like an idiot). Anyway, so, I'm at his house, first date, so I thought I'd give you this update! I'm really very nervously excited! I really like him…I know that's weird coming from me. But, he's so cute and adorable, and sweet. He's a Profiler, very smart. I really, really, really like him, dammit! Anyway, how's your advanced love life? Well, I should go, because he's looking over my shoulder, and can read 20,000 words a minute. Therefore, he's probably read this already. Love you lots, Lizzie. Mail me back this time, love. **

**-Paige**

She closed the laptop after sending the e-mail to her favorite cousin, Lizzie. Spencer started whistling and acting like he wasn't reading it at all. Paige laughed, and pulled him down on the couch.

"Reading my e-mails?" She asked, really giggly.

"How many times do you think you used the word 'really' in the e-mail?"

"Uh…three?"

"I believe I counted five." He smirked, and looked at her nervously. "So, you like me that much?"

"Oh, there's more to it, trust me. That wasn't even half." Paige said, looking down embarrassed. Spencer found himself smiling at that piece of information. This kind of excited him.

"Well, that's good. I like you a lot, too." She smiled, and leaned on his shoulder, her favorite thing to do. He pursed his lips, and thought to himself for a minute. He had to work up the courage to kiss her. He had too. He wanted too, but what if he messed up? _You know, time to take a chance,_ he thought bravely. He was going to do it, he promised himself this. Paige stood up, and walked across the room.

She found the shelves that held his chessboard, decks of cards, poker chips, and Scrabble, then, behind all that, was a dusty pack of Uno cards. She smiled, and took all the games of the shelf, and brought them back over, dumping them on the coffee table.

"Let's play." She said, smiling. Spencer stood up, and sat down by the edge of the coffee table, she did the same. They had decided to play Scrabble, first. Of course, he won, making her terribly mad. She demanded, in an absolutely cute little fit, that they play Uno next.

"So, tell me about yourself?" She asked him, as she laid down a wild card. "Red."

"Well…let's start with something I wanted you to know. Remember how I said my Mom retired? Well, she didn't." Spencer said, laying down a Red Reverse card. Paige bit her lip, and laid a Red six down.

"Oh? Didn't anyone tell you, Dr. Reid? That's bad karma."

"My mom is a schizophrenic." He replied, lying back against the couch. He stared at her for a moment, waiting for reaction.

"I'm sorry, Reid." She sighed, and looked down at her cards. "That poor... She sounded like a very educated woman." She said, trying to raise the spirits. He lifted the corner of his mouth, and put down another card.

"Uno." He said. She laid down one of her twenty cards.

"There' s a lot to hate about you." She said, watching him throw down his last card. He shrugged, and put the deck back into the cardboard box it belonged in.

"What next?"

"Chess."

"You don't want to go there." He tried to hide his proud smile, but it didn't work.

"I believe I just said I do."

"Suit yourself." He said, and began setting up the board. In an instance, it was done, and they were playing.

"Shall we make this interesting?" He asked her suddenly. She grinned, and nodded. "Winner has to kiss the loser."

"Oh, now you're definitely going down!" Paige said proudly, making Spencer smile.

To sum it up, no, she did not win. Paige Singer lost terribly. She was putting the pieces back, trying to figure out what she must have missed, when suddenly, she felt Spencer's lips on hers. He had leaned over the coffee table and caught her. When he drew away, she smiled, and felt the heat rise to her cheeks. The same happened to Spencer.

They both stood up, and decided to go get pizza. Reid grabbed her hand, as they walked in the chilly November weather. Paige only had a light jacket on, so Reid was trying his best to keep her warm.

"What's today?" He asked suddenly.

"Monday." Paige answered easily. She was always on top of the date. She could never forget what day it was, or she'd drive herself mad. "Why?"

"Just wondering."

"Gotcha."

They walked a little further, but, as they arrived to the pizza place, it was closing. They sighed, and turned around to walk back. Suddenly, Paige had this huge urge to…shoot up. She hated that feeling. She didn't want to leave Spencer, but she couldn't resist the temptation. She licked her dry lips, and began scratching her arm. She looked down confused, there was nothing on her arm, but it felt like it.

Suddenly, Spencer wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her extremely close. She couldn't believe the ever so rare chances Spencer was taking. It's Spencer. He's not usually like this.

"Paige." He said, sounding endearingly concerned.

"Yeah?" She said weakly.

"Have you been eating all your meals? Not to sound like a Mother, or anything." She looked down, and noticed she could see the exact details of the bones in her hands, and her ribs almost seem to poke out of her shirt. She blinked. She had to go.

"Spencer, I have to go, but it was so nice! I had to much fun." She smiled up at him, and hugged him tightly. He kissed her head.

"Call me if you need anything."

"Will do." She said, and looked up just in time to receive one last kiss. She smiled, and kissed him back. When they broke apart, she left to find the Mustang, and to go get Jonas.

_***"I need a fix, cause I'm going down."- The Beatles.**_

_Singer Apartment_

_Monday, 12:00 A.M._

Jonas Singer had fallen asleep, and Paige Singer was in her room, pacing. She was nervous. But, she needed it. Without a second to lose, she grabbed the bag and took it into her personal bathroom.

"Wait." She whispered, and closed the door to her room. The last thing she needed was Jonas walking in and seeing her injecting street drugs into her veins. She bit her lip, and shuffled into the bathroom. After closing that door, she threw the bag in the sink, and looked at herself in the mirror. She looks horrible. She lifted up her shirt enough to see her ribs poking out a little from her stomach. She dropped the hem, and sat on the closed toilet seat.

It's time. She took the bag, and took a seat, preparing her drug. She felt tears spring into her eyes as she handled the syringe with care. She held it above her arm carefully, wondering why she was doing this. She shook her head, her eyes widening as she realized she had already pushed the needle into a vein. She clenched her jaw as she pushed down, letting the entire lot of Heroin into her bloodstream. She pulled it out, and then let it roll out of her hand onto the bathroom floor. Her eyes shut, and she felt relieved.

She fell asleep after pacing in the bathroom for sometime. When she woke up a couple hours later, she was wondering how she ended up in the shower. She shrugged; she was too high to care.

_***"It's better to lose a friend for a few months, rather than to lose them forever to suicide."**_

_Reid's Apartment_

_9:00 P.M._

After Paige left, Spencer called Morgan, and asked him to come over immediately.

Only three minutes later, Morgan was knocking on Reid's door. Spence answered it, and let Derek in.

"How'd it go?" Morgan asked, grinning like a five year old would on Christmas.

"Great…" Spencer said, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile.

"What happened, you're definitely in a daze." Morgan said, patting the couch, insisting they sit. Reid was to pumped, but sat anyway.

"I kissed her."

"No you did not." Morgan said, laughing. "Reid…I don't know, you sure?"

"I'm positive. I leaned over the coffee table, and _kissed her_ Derek."

"Would she and any other normal human being call it a kiss?"

"Yes, Derek." When Spencer said this, Derek stood up, more like jumped up.

"OH MY GOD." He yelled, and smiled, making Reid stand up with him. "You, me, we're going out!"

"…Um…I'm not sure if you got this, but Paige is a girl. And, I like you Derek, I really do. But, I like Paige more. Sorry, buddy. We have to go to work tomorrow anyway, Morgan." Reid reminded him. Morgan suddenly stopped, and considered this.

"Oh well. I was really hoping I'd be able to, like, so totally take you out to, like, the mall!" He said in a girly voice. "No seriously. So, like, how was it?" He asked, in his regular voice this time.

"You're nosy."

"Am I? You called me over here. Remember?" Morgan smiled, tapping his temple.

"Great. It was great. She has soft lips." Spencer said, smiling in remembrance.

"Reid," Derek says slowly, sitting back down. Reid does the same. "I'm happy for you. We should double date sometime." Derek insisted.

"Derek, I told you. Girls." He smiled, and laughed at his joke. "Wait- with who?" Reid says, the adorable confused look spreading across his face.

"Me and Penelope?"

"Wait, you two are _actually _going out now?"

"Yeah." Derek smiled. "She makes me happy."

Spencer considered this. "You deserve it, man."

_***"Sometimes, little white lies are simply okay to tell."**_

_B.A.U_

_Tuesday, 7:00 A.M._

The next morning, Reid walked in cheerfully, and went to Hotch's office. Hotch was sitting there, doing some type of paper work, and concentrating.

"Yes?" He grumbles from his desk. He's not in a bad mood he just hates paper work.

" I was wondering if you know when Singer's going to become an official agent." Reid asked, shifting around the weight of his leather messenger bag.

"I suppose a week or so." Hotch answers, looking up to him for a split second. "Are you okay? You look jumpy."

"Fine."

"I'm guessing it went well last night?" Hotch smiled a little at his team member.

"Yeah, it did." The confused look struck again. "She even here yet? She's usually here before me."

"Ah…no. I thought she'd be over with you guys. I haven't seen her."

"Oh. Well, thanks Hotch."

"No problem, now, get out." Spencer raised his eyebrows, and pressed his lips together, shutting the door behind him. He turned to go back to his desk, and ran into Rossi, who was grinning up a storm.

"I heard it went well yesterday, kid." He said boldly, in a mocking tone.

"Morgan?" Spencer asked him, Rossi smiling and nodding in consent. Spencer rolled his eyes, and waited for Rossi to move out of his way.

"So?" He asked again.

"It went great, Rossi." He said sourly. Rossi, noticing his tone, moved aside, and let him pass. Rossi laughed guiltily, and went off.

Spencer went over to Derek and tapped him on the shoulder. Derek turned around to see a dark, scary looking Reid. He jumped back, startled.

"Reid…sorry…uh…" Morgan fumbled his words, looking down.

Reid raised one eyebrow. "Unconvincing."

"Sorry." Morgan said, with more power this time. "I was happy for you." He added.

"It's okay, just, don't let it happen again?" Spencer asked him. Without waiting for a reply, he turned away and walked to his neat desk. Spencer had everything in order and neat. He hated it otherwise. He sat at his desk, tapping a blue ink pen on the wood of the desk, waiting for Paige to walk through the doors.

_"I really like you a lot, too." _

He kept replaying what he had said to her last night. He hoped she wasn't lying. He hoped she did like him. Just as he went to tap the pen once more against the wood desk, the doors flew open. Paige stumbled in, trying not to make a scene.

She raced by Spencer, not even noticing him, and flew into Hotch's office. She was really late today, which wasn't her thing. She had to drive Jonas to school, and make sure he knew what class to go too. She was lightheaded. And worst of all, she couldn't get last night out of her head. Not the date. That was perfect. He was perfect. It was her. She was the one who had to leave.

She folded her arms as if she had to hide the track marks. She had a jacket on anyway, so they wouldn't have been able to see them, but she was paranoid. And scared.

"Singer." Hotch's grave voice rang out when she entered his office. "You're late."

"Had to drop of Jonas at his new school. Sorry, Hotch." She said, trying to sound as official and organized as she could. It wasn't working. She knew she had bags under her eyes, and deep purple coloring. She knew her complexion was pale. She knew she was tired, and grouchy. She knew everything wrong, she just didn't want them to know.

"What grade?" Hotchner asked her.

"Excuse me?" She said, dazed.

"What grade is Jonas in?" He repeated, looking up at her. He was startled by her appearance.

"Fifth." She answered, trying to mask a yawn.

"I see. Paige, before you go, are you okay?"

"Perfectly fine, why?"

"You don't look good."

"Thanks."

"At all."

"Double thanks, sir." She said.

"Paige."

"Hotchner." She snapped. He looked taken aback. She widened her eyes, and started scratching at her arm once again. "I'm sorry sir. I'm going to look over the case files." She said, ducking her head.

"Paige."

"Yes sir?"

"If you need to talk about anything, please tell me." He said to her, sincerely. This surprised her, but she took it willingly.

"Thanks, Hotch." She said, not making any promises. She swooped out of the office, with a handful of files. She went to go sit down at her desk, half expecting Reid to be there, half hoping he wouldn't be.

Reid was smart to stay away; he saw her coming out of the office. She looked terrible. She had baggy purple eyes; he could hear her stomach grumbling for food, he could see her scratching at her arm as if something was there. He could even see a bit of her ribs poking out of her shirt. He didn't know what this was, or what he could do to confront her. He asked Morgan about it, who agreed she was acting strange.

"Do what I did with you. Either let her come to us, or confront her." He suggested. Reid decided to let it go, and shrugged.

When Paige arrived at her desk, she saw a book sitting by her keyboard. She sat down, and picked up her red sharpie. She poked the book, and then chuckled at her insanity. She picked it up, and read the front. _The Odyssey by Homer. _She laughed. This had been her favorite epic poem in middle school, when she took a Mythology class. She flipped the cover, and saw traces of handwriting inside of it.

_"Hope you like it. It's my favorite book. Or Epic Poem, I guess. – Spencer." _

She sighed as she read that words. She appreciated it, but…she…she didn't know. She wanted to be with Spencer, but she was screwed up. She screwed up. But, was it even her fault? She didn't start this? But- did she have the strength to end it? Clearly not. She figured she needed help, but she was afraid. She didn't want to go through this again. Not like this, either. She wasn't going down.

She sighed, glancing over at Morgan and Reid, who appeared to be talking about something serious. _Do they talk about me? _She thought. She did want them to help her, but she couldn't bring herself to them. But, she couldn't leave them clues, and she couldn't wait for them to catch up. What was she going to do? Was there something she could do? _Stop asking questions._ She told herself.

She grimaced, and stood up on her shaky legs. She robotically walked over to Reid and Morgan, hoping to be able to join their conversation easily. They stopped talking when they saw her; obviously they _were_ talking about her. She clucked her tongue, and went up closer to them.

"Hey, guys." She greeted, them trying to sound as nice as possible.

"Hey, Singer. Got a case?" Morgan asked, leaning back onto his desk.

"Not at the moment." She answered, taking things slow and casual. There was silence for a few minutes, and then Reid asked Singer to come over to his desk and help him with something. They walked over to his desk, and both leaned against it. _This, _she thought miserably, _is not casual. _

"Thanks for the book." She said, trying to get him to come out of his thinking daze. He nodded, without looking up.

"What's wrong with you?" It came out wrong, but it's what he meant to say. She raised her eyebrows, and bit her lip.

"What?" She whispered.

"You. You're eyes, there absolutely empty. There's nothing alive about them. And, your weight. Paige, I can see your freaking ribs." Spencer whispered-yelled. "You have massive bags under your eyes. You're tired you're grouchy. You're late." He said, making a fine point. One that Paige didn't want to hear about.

"I had to drop off Jonas." She said stupidly.

"Paige…" He said, looking like a sad lost puppy dog. "What are you doing to yourself?" He asked her, looking at her straight in the eyes, and grabbing her slim shoulders.

"Nothing, leave me alone." She wrenched herself from his grip, and went back to her own desk, madder than before. She jabbed the red sharpie on her desk, and stared at the stupid book. She picked it up forcefully, and chucked it at her trashcan. She could feel the hot tears stinging her eyes.

The worse part was, she knew Spencer was the right one. A tear rolled down her cheek, as she stared at the book in the trash. She bit her lip, now becoming a nervous habit, and shut her eyes. She breathed heavily, and took the book out of the trash, and decided to head down to Garcia's office. She'd be able to cheer her up. Or not…Hotch was coming her way, so she quickly dried her tears on her sleeve, and opened up a case file. She started to read quietly, while she watched Hotch pass her by. She sighed, and kept reading. Nothing seemed to flash into her head as she read. Nothing. She was made of rock.

Paige Singer closed the case file, and left without saying anything. As she passed Spencer's desk on the way out, she threw the book if front of him. It landed on his desk with a soft thud, and she headed out. Without a second to spare, Spencer picked it up, and opened it to the back of the front cover. Underneath his neat handwriting, she had written something.

_"It's not nice to profile people you work with. You got me. - Paige." _

He closed the book, and considered this as his second warning signal.

**Okay, DONE. It's 13 pages long! Whoa. Bro, that is a lot! I'd like to thank CrazyR for nagging and loving my story! Without you bothering me to read it, I wouldn't have striven to actually write more than needed. That's right, none of the last three pages was intended. Tee Hee. Getsemone, this is also for you! I tried making Jonas as adorable as possible.**

**-WW908**


	5. Jealousy is Your Latest Fashion

**Okay, next chapter. I'm shooting for around 18-20 pages. Lord help me if I can't get there! Thank you to Getsemone, CrazyR, and BbyStarlette. Okay, here we go! CrazyR, don't get crazy. (Bon Qui Qui voice).**

_**"Well, slow down, you're going to fast."**_

_Singer Apartment_

_Tuesday, 9:00 A.M.  
_

Paige Singer sat in the empty apartment. Tears sprang in her eyes ever so often, and her phone vibrated nonstop. She checked the caller I.D. while she huddled into a corner of her room. It was Spencer, than it was Morgan, then Hotch, then Prentiss. She chucked the phone to the other side of the room.

She began weeping, not able to contain herself any more. She was all wrong, and all cracked up and broken. She felt like she was gliding through something that she didn't want to miss a thing of. She hated it. She had hoped she could just forget. She was curled in a ball, starving and tired. Her tears stung her cheeks and eyes.

About an hour later, she pushed herself off the ground. She went into the bathroom, and stared at the reflection. She was just to damn skinny. What was wrong with her? She didn't want to eat. She didn't want drugs. She wanted Jonas, and she wanted comfort and support. She wanted to be a full time, qualified FBI agent.

She could just feel her dreams and hopes being washed down with the water she was using to clean her face. She scrubbed her face raw with a towel, and went to wait for Jonas on the couch. It was 2:53; Jonas should be home any minute. She ran her hand over the fabric of the couch, hoping it would calm her senses. But, nothing worked. She felt lightheaded once again, with a horrid stomachache.

She went into her bedroom, stumbled over to her bed, and tried to calm herself. But she couldn't. She could feel herself slipping, losing her eyesight. She clutched her aching and pinching stomach, and slipped. Her eyes rolled back, and she was a goner.

Jonas Singer got home at approximately three o'clock. He raised his eyebrows at the empty apartment. "Paige?" He said loudly. When no one answered, he shrugged, and threw his backpack down by the door. He slammed the door, and sat on the couch. Nothing seemed right about this. Maybe it was because he was in his sister's care rather than his mothers?

He sighed, and went to the kitchen. His stomach was growling for food. "Must…tame…the…beast." Jonas whispered quietly to himself. He talked to himself a lot. He never noticed it, but he was like his own teacher. Questioning him, and then proving himself wrong or right. He did it with out any extreme or additional effort.

He wondered where his sister could be. She would have called him if she were stuck at work. She had given Jonas a key and a flip cell phone with the whole BAU team's numbers in it for emergencies. He laughed when she gave him the cell and key along with a grave expression. Paige wasn't known to be serious.

He checked his cell phone again, making sure she didn't call. He did have calls from Morgan and Reid. He again shrugged at himself, and heard a vibration. It wasn't his cell phone, and it sounded like it was coming from the other side of the living room. He went to investigate, and found Paige's phone. Spencer was calling her, and she had over thirty missed calls.

Jonas took this and his own missed calls as a distress signal. He quickly answered her phone, scared and worried.

"Paige?" Reid's voice said weakly.

"No, it's Jonas. I found her phone in the corner of the living room. Is everything all right?" Jonas asked, turning around, and looking for any signs of kidnappings or robbery. There was nothing.

"Is she all right? I've been calling her since she left this morning."

"This morning?"

"Yeah, she left about an hour after she came in."

"Wait…why?"

"Well, she got mad at me because I asked her what was wrong. So, she left."

"Inconsiderate?"

"Jonas."

"Where's my sister?" He asked harshly, in a blaming tone of voice.

"Check your apartment, and call me back with your phone." Spencer said. _Click,_ the phone went as he disconnected. Jonas huffed, and stormed around the living room for a second.

He went and checked his bedroom, nothing. Her bedroom? He didn't want to go in. He was afraid of what he might see. He touched her bedroom doorknob, and turned it carefully. He slowly opened it, and stepped in carefully.

Paige was lying on her bed, passed out. He rushed over to her, and checked to see if she was breathing. She was, thank god, but she didn't look good. Jonas fumbled around his pockets for his phone. This was his time. He had to be a man, and save his sister. He was the one in charge, now, and that quite frankly scared the crap out of him.

Jonas dialed Spencer Reid's number as quickly as he could without making any mistakes. "Hello?" Jonas said shakily, waiting for Reid's reply.

"Jonas? Did you find her?"

"Y-yeah."

"Where is she?"

"Here"

"Where?"

"Her bedroom."

"What's wrong, Jonas?"

"She's…she's passed out! She's passed out, Spence! You've got to come help me with my sister! I can't do it alone…please! Please!" Jonas cried into the phone's receiver.

"Calm down, Morgan and I will be there in a second." Spencer said, ending the phone call once again.

Jonas sat down on the floor, leaning on the bed. He was scared, and lonely. He cried for his sister, and waited for his sister's friends to come and save her. Because Jonas couldn't. And, he felt absolutely horrible for that.

"Jonas!" Someone yelled, banging on the front door loudly. Jonas scrambled to his feet, and threw open each door he had to pass through to get to his Saviors. Morgan and Reid both had their serious work faces on, and told Jonas to take them to her room.

Morgan had Jonas tell him everything hurriedly before the ambulance came. Reid, though, was walking slowly into the bathroom. He looked into the mirror, that had water splashed all over it. There was a towel on the ground. And then, he found what he had been looking for. Paige's bag of magic. He found the street drugs hidden underneath a roll of toilet paper.

Reid wanted to cry, as he held on tightly to the lethal bag.

_***"I've got troubled thoughts, and a self esteem to match, what a catch."**_

_Quantico Hospital_

_Tuesday, 4:00 P.M.  
_

"She wasn't passed out because of drug overdose, Mr. Morgan." The young nurse told Morgan, Reid, and Jonas as they waited outside the ER room that held Paige Singer captive.

"But?" Reid said, because there was always a but.

"She was tested, and there are severe amounts of Diacetylmorphine in her veins." She concluded. Reid thanked her, and she walked back into the room. Reid turned to Jonas, who was holding onto Morgan, tears streaming down his face.

"Is my sister okay?" He whispered. Reid nodded, and looked Morgan in the eyes.

"Diacetylmorphine?" He asked Reid in a hushed voice. Morgan was looking protective, knowing he thought of Paige as a little sister. And, hey, little sister is in trouble, which means he's not stopping until she's okay.

"Heroin." They found traces of Heroin in her blood stream." Morgan bit his lip, and shut his eyes, shaking his head. Reid basically did the same. Jonas sat down in one of the visitor's chairs, when he noticed Hotch, Prentiss, Rossi, and Garcia walking straight to them. He jumped up, and ran to Garcia, another 'best friend' of his. She hugged him willingly. She tried laughing for the kid's sake, but it came out as if she was choking on a mint, forced and cold.

"She's going to be okay." Garcia said, trying to convince Jonas and herself. Jonas nodded through his tears, and they went to join the group. Meanwhile, Hotch was staring dangerously at the two men who brought her here. He stared harshly for as long as he could, but then remembered it wasn't helping anyone. He dropped his gaze, and cleared his throat.

"What do you know?" Hotch asked Reid, maybe because he knew Reid was more passionate about this case, or maybe it was to terrorize him. At this point, Reid could accept both. In a way, he thought he deserved it.

"She wasn't passed out in her room because of drug overdose. But, blood test shows she was filled to the brim with Dia- I mean, Heroin." Spencer told him, biting on the inside of his cheek. He wished this wasn't true. But, Paige showed the obvious signs. The nurse slipped out of the room, deciding it was time to finishing telling everyone what had happened.

"Excuse me, there's too many of you guys." She complained, rubbing her forehead dramatically. Hotch stepped to her, and pulled out his badge. The nurse's eyes widened and she stepped back a bit.

"They are with me. And the one in there is, too." He told her. She nodded, and cleared her throat.

"She passed out because she probably hasn't eaten a full meal in five days. She probably hasn't taken a sip of water in six. She was bound to pass out and die. The amount of Heroin in her system would have killed her in a about a couple days, if you guys hadn't brought her in." The nurse told them, being insensitive as possible. Morgan thanked her while Reid sat down with Jonas. He put his head in his hands and moaned.

"She'll be fine Reid. We'll have her do what you did. Make her attend Narcotics meeting's for people in law enforcement. Meanwhile, she only has a couple days left before she becomes a certified agent of the FBI." Hotch told him, patting his back. The rest of the team sat, and waited. Jonas fell asleep on Reid's shoulder, just like Paige would always do so. Reid sighed, and let the little kid sleep. It was the least he could do.

Spencer just hoped Paige wouldn't be mad at him. He didn't want to cry, but there was a good chance he would when he saw her. Reid blinked away constant tears, and looked up at his team. Garcia was asleep on Morgan's shoulder. Rossi, Prentiss and Hotch were gone, probably in the cafeteria. Morgan mouthed something to Spencer, and chuckled sadly. Reid tried to at least give his best friend a half smile, but it didn't come out that way. Morgan resisted the temptation to laugh at his friend.

"Excuse me, sir?" A man said behind Reid, startling a little bit.

"Yes?"

"Spencer Reid? Right?" The man said. He appeared to be a doctor. He had his hands stuffed into the pockets of his white lab coat, and his stethoscope hanging loosely around his neck. It dangled in front of Spencer's face, the shine of the metallic bothering his somewhat sensitive eyes.

"Yes."

"My patient is finally awake after surgery, and she wants to talk to you, I believe." The man said, unsure of himself and the name he was given. He shrugged, and asked Reid to follow him. Reid stood up, gently shrugging off the still asleep Jonas. He held up a finger to Morgan, signaling that he'd be back, and followed the doctor.

They ended up into Paige's room. She was lying on the hospital bed, gently breathing, and eating a piece of bread slowly. She chewed slowly, she blinked slowly, and she raised the food to her mouth slowly. She was like a low motion cut of a movie, but there was nothing anyone could do to speed her up at this point.

"She's still recovering, but if you will, please keep an eye on her and make her eat as much as she possibly can?" The doctor asked, adding a little 'hm' to the end. Spencer nodded, and sat down by the bed. The doctor turned and left, giving them some privacy. Spencer eyed him for a second, but shrugged it off immediately.

"Hey Paige." He said. She glanced up at his face, and slowly, tears began to form in her eyes. One by one, they fell onto her cheek. She put the food down, and swallowed what she had left in her mouth.

"I'm sorry, Spence." She said weakly, her hand slowly lifting up, and his meeting hers. She smiled as he grabbed her fragile hand, and held it tightly. After giving it a final squeeze, he let it go.

"No harm, no foul." He whispered to her, trying to contain his emotions.

"No, Spencer, I screwed up." She said, trying to sit up. She got about a half an inch up, and gave up. Spencer grabbed her shoulders and hands and helped her sit up so she could talk to him.

"How?"

"I swear Spencer, it wasn't me. I could have stopped it though, but I didn't." She moaned, massaging her temples to calm herself.

"What, Paige?"

"My dad. He's the one who injected me with Heroin in the first place."

"Was that the first? The night we found you and Jonas?" He stopped breathing for a second. He knew the answer, he knew as soon as she paused. Her eyes looking up at him guiltily. It was all just so obvious.

"No." She closed her eyes as she whispered the dreaded word.

"No? Paige, did he inject you before he left?"

"The night he left, actually." She said, chuckling casually. She sighed, and looked up at Spencer. "He injected me at fourteen. For three years after that, I was addicted." She looked down, and fiddled with the blankets. "I got off for a while, with a little therapy, and Narcotics Anonymous. I got off without Mom being mad, because she knew it wasn't me. But, it always was, Spencer. It was always me." She sighed, and let a few more tears slip.

"Paige," Spencer started, but Paige shushed him.

"Then, he injected me days ago, and now, I don't want to go through it. Please help me, Spence." She moped, and cried, and hugged herself.

"Paige." He said, now in a stronger voice. "I will help you." She looked at him gratefully. "It does get better. How long were you..."

"A couple weeks." She winced. "How do you know? How do you know it gets any better?" She asked suddenly, throwing Spencer off. He paused before saying anything. He couldn't tell her the whole truth, but a part of it wouldn't hurt.

"I was addicted to Dilaudid. After I got kidnapped." Paige turned to face him more, and scooted as close to him as possible. She rested her head in the palm of her hands, looking like a sad pathetic kindergartner.

"Reid…thank you." She said, looking into his eyes, and making him instantly happy. Her eyes were green with brown flecks in them. They were alive, and they were well. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to make you feel bad or anything." She said, finding his hands, and gripping them tightly.

"I know. Trust me…" Reid said, raising his eyebrows and laughing awkwardly. "You need to eat." He said, pointing to the tray of food on the table next to her.

"That food is disgusting. I'll eat anything but that." She said stubbornly, sticking her tongue out at the horrid food. Reid smiled, and kissed her forehead.

"I'll be back with your so called _real _food." He said smiling. He got out of his seat, and waved goodbye to her, and left. When he got out, the whole team was there, waiting.

"So?" Hotch asked, looking concerned.

"She's fine. Anyone who wants to visit can. I'm going to go get her actual food she can eat. I'll be back." Spencer said, explaining to them real fast so he could leave and come back quickly.

_***"But I'm one of those 'I have to see it, to believe it' kinds."- Ranga Jeebus**_

Spencer came back with Paige's favorite kind of rice, an egg roll, and a Coke. He walked into the hospital, and saw that the whole team was crowded into the room with Paige. He smiled as he walked into the room, and saw Jonas sitting with Paige on her bed.

"Food?" He shouted over everyone else. Paige looked up, and grinned hungrily. She desperately wanted to jump up, but couldn't. She groaned, reaching out her arms and waggling her fingers for the food. Spencer laughed, and handed her the food, making her smile, and laugh like a giddy child.

"God, this is so unhealthy. I love it!" She said cheerfully. She was obviously back to normal, which made Jonas smile. She began eating the rice and egg rolls vigorously. "And, this is very embarrassing. I probably look really-"

"Skinny." Garcia finished for her, eyeing her small torso.

"Right. That's why I'm here." She said, looking off dramatically into space. "Okay, the drugs they gave me are starting to wear off, and now I'm extremely tired, and I want to go home." She told everyone. But, everyone looked nervously at each other.

"What?" She asked, obviously not getting what they were thinking.

"Paige…" Hotch started, looking at his team for supportive glances. "We can't let you go home alone."

"Jonas will be with me." She said, and then suddenly, widened her eyes. "You guys aren't taking Jonas away from me, are you?"

"No, not at all, kid." Rossi said, comforting her. She brought Jonas closer to her, and hugged him.

"We have to have a team member stay with you at all times just for the next two days. Just to make sure you eat, and get through two days without using." Hotch explained, level headed.

Paige nodded, and agreed that it would be best. "So, who's staying?" She asked, smiling cockily. She sipped the Coke, and leaned back on her bed lazily.

"We have all come to an agreement, which Spencer is to stay with you." Morgan told her, smiling at her the same way she smiled.

"What fun for me?" She said, and meaning it. She loved hanging out with Spence. Spencer on the other hand, was nervous. He wanted to do it, but what if he caught her using? He wouldn't be able to live it down. But, he had to do it. For her, and for Jonas.

"Okay, sounds good." He said all too quickly, pretty much showcasing his nervousness. Reid half smiled at Paige, who glanced down, her face turning red.

A couple hours later or so, the doctor came to give Paige her medicine, and tell them that she was released. They walked her down to the sign out desk, where she signed her name, and did other measly paper work. She grimaced at the papers that were handed to her.

"This is ridiculous." She muttered, sitting down in a hospital chair, with Jonas on her right, and Spencer on her left. The team had left, but, not before making sure she was totally fine. She had laughed, and told them to go on, and she'd see them at work tomorrow. Hotch had insisted, of course, that she didn't come tomorrow, but she said tomorrow she had to come. BAU was now her life, and she wasn't giving that up any time soon.

After ridiculous amounts of time was spent on paper work, and filling out forms, they climbed into Reid's car. He started it up, and waited for Jonas and Paige to quit fighting about who shall take the front. Paige insisted her brother take it, but Jonas begged to differ. After a good five minutes, Spencer told Paige to get in the back and try to sleep, and Jonas get in the front.

"Yes sir." Paige said, grinning, and sliding into the back, kicking her feet up onto the upholstery. She sooner or later fell asleep as Jonas listened to the soft breathing she emitted. Eventually, Spencer pulled into the parking lot of the apartment buildings, and parked. He turned off the car, and told Jonas to gently wake his sister up. Jonas did so, not so much gently, but still, she was awakened.

The three of them walked into the apartment quickly and quietly, not making a sound. It was pretty late at night, and Jonas couldn't keep his eyelids open. Paige ruffled her little brother's hair as she dug around her jacket pocket with her other hand. She finally found the small silver key to the house,

"So?" Paige said, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. She didn't want to make this hard on either of them.

Paige opened the door, and watched as Jonas ran into his room and shut the door, obviously not coming out for a while. She smirked at the sight, and shut the door after Reid walked in, inspecting the place.

"So." He stated simply, rubbing his hands together. He waited for Paige to say something, but could tell she was losing her energy fast. She sort of stumbled when she walked, trying to find something to grip onto. He put his arms around her, underneath her arms this time. He picked her up; she was, unsurprisingly, light. He carried her to the couch, and let her lay down, her head on his lap. She smiled, and opened her eyes, her eyelids fighting to stay open.

"Spencer…" She whispered, letting her eyes close again.

"Yeah?" He said, not looking down at her, but the books on her shelf sitting across from them. He spotted out a NA book, dusty and abandoned at the very end.

"Can you go into the kitchen and grab me a Kit Kat bar?" She asked, sitting up so he could get up. He stood up willingly, and thoroughly searched for the Kit Kat bar she was talking about. He finally found a huge box of them in a drawer. He laughed at the insanity of even needing a box this large of them, and brought a couple out of the package.

He walked back over to the couch and dropped one on her stomach. "Oof. That feels like a million pounds." She whispered, thrusting her hand dramatically over her forehead. Spencer laughed at her, and leaned over to kiss her forehead. She smiled, and searched for the thrown Kit Kat. She picked it up, and unwrapped it. She broke off a stick and began eating it.

"Why the huge box of them, Singer?"

"Why not?"

"Why?" He asked again, smiling at her sarcastic tone.

"Um, they give me a power boost. Plus, they taste good. And, I need to put on a couple more pounds." She said, opening one eye to peek up at Spencer, who was standing over her.

"True." He said, giving her props.

"No, they're not laced with anything."

"I wasn't-"

"Curiosity killed this cat." She said smugly, tossing her legs over the couch and lifting herself up, now standing up next to him.

"Satisfaction brought him back."

"I hate cats." Paige said, shrugging her shoulders, and taking a bite of the second bar from the Kit Kat.

"So do I."

"I wanted a dog when I was younger."

"My Mom was allergic."

"As was mine."

"That's completely depressing."

"Isn't it though?"

"Our dogless childhoods have failed us." Reid agreed. They both stared at each other with serious faces, bobbing their heads up and down. All up until Paige broke the silence with impeccable laughter. Spencer smiled and laughed along with her.

"So."

"Ready?"

"Wait- what?" Paige asked confused, right as Spencer fell back onto the couch, taking her with him. They erupted with fits of laughter and muffled giggles. He tickled her, and she squirmed, trying to get away from him.

"Truce!" She called out, when tears began to form in her eyes from the constant laughter.

"Oh, fine." He said, as he stopped tickling her. Yet, he still locked her in his arms, not letting her get up.

"You know, Spence-"

Spencer taking her by the face and kissing her cut her off. She kissed him back, unable to contain her joy. When he finally broke it, she gasped for air, causing both of them to laugh.

She lay on his chest, while he stroked her long hair. She didn't realize it, but he did, when she fell asleep on his shoulder.

_***"We're just the kids who didn't make it."- Abbie B.**_

Paige and Spencer walked into work together the next day. Jonas was at school, learning about things that didn't matter to him, because he knew it already. They walked in laughing and chatting, a good sign to all the other people.

In his pocket, Spencer had three Kit Kats in case she needed them. He walked her to his desk, and handed her the copy of _The Odyssey_. She smiled and snatched it away from him playfully. He smiled, and left her desk. When he was gone, she opened up her Yahoo! Mail inbox, and saw that Lizzie mailed her back.

**To:Paige Singer  
**

**From:Elizabeth North  
**

**Message:**

**Hey, Paige! Of course I remember you! I miss you too! We haven't seen each other in, what, six years? We should change that? NCIS is good, first day, actually. Things are going good. FBI? Cool, maybe we'll get to work together. I know you'll make it as an agent soon! Carrying a gun is like the best part! Wait, Paige Singer is on a date? Um, details? Sounds great, I'm so happy for you, Paige! I can't wait to meet him! My advanced love life? Um, there is none, really. Sorry to say. 20,000 words a minute? Smartie. Well then, hi there Spencer! Love you too, Paige. Email me back!**

**-Lizzie**

Paige giggled at her cousin's craziness, and clicked reply. She jumped a little in her seat though, when she saw Spencer's reflection in her computer screen.

"Your cousin is hilarious."

"You are a freak." Paige pointed out, as he came and leaned on her desk so he could see her computer screen. She started thinking of what she should say in her reply, while Spencer watched her intently.

**To:Elizabeth North  
**

**From:Paige Singer  
**

**Message:**

** Hello,**

**The favoritism in the cousin world in condescending, I tell you. I am a stalker, however did you know, Elizabeth Jane North. Muwahaha? Let's see I'm 24, you're 30? I haven't seen you since I was 18. Um, 30-24=6. So yes. It has indeed been 6. I'll come visit you? Yes? NCIS does sound like the perfect place for you! I'll be a qualified FBI agent in two days time! I'm excited. Thanks, I've only been working at this goal for oh…six years. Yes, Paige Singer was on a date! Yeah, Spencer's actually sitting right here. Sigh. He says 'Hello'. He is pretty perfect! Yeah, yeah. Meet him up. Tony and Elizabeth DiNozzo? Hm, that's a sexy name. I bet he likes you a lot! Beat that! You in fact do sound like a teenage girl. Yeah, we can't all be baby Einstein. **

** Love you more, Lizzay.**

** I did, goof.**

**Paigey.**

Spencer laughed as she hit the send button, and closed out of her inbox.

"Your cousin is really cool." He said, as she proceeded to get up and go to Hotch's office.

"She's really my only family left besides Jonas." She said, agreeing with him. They reached Hotch's office, and knocked on the door. They heard him say a very firm 'come in', so Paige pushed the door open. Inside, Hotch was staring at his computer screen.

"Hey Hotch, just came for the files." She said, looking around for them. Hotch glanced up at the two youngest team members, and half smiled. Sometimes, Paige reminded him of his late ex-wife. He sighed, and brought out five more new case files, and handed them to Paige.

"Thanks, Paige. So, you become an official agent…what, tomorrow?" Hotch asked her, coming around his desk to talk to engage in conversation with them.

"Correct! I'm extremely excited to work with you guys." Paige said, smiling brilliantly, standing on her tiptoes.

"Good, good. We should have a small party. Bring Jonas tomorrow?" Hotch suggested, making Paige and Spencer give him weird looks. Why was he acting so…unusual?

"He has school tomorrow, and tonight we're going over to meet this kid's family. His Mom and he live in the apartment beneath us. Jonas and him are the same age, and she's a stay at home Mom. She told me on the phone we should come down tonight. I'm excited." Paige explained, shifting her weight.

"Excellent. Glad to see you better, Singer." Hotch said, a small smile staying on his lips. She nodded, signaling Hotch could get back to work.

Paige and Spencer walked out of Hotch's office together. She held the thick files and sighed, she would never be able to get through these. She grumbled on about work, while Spencer put his arm around her shoulders, and laughed at her bad mood. She couldn't stay mad for very long when Spencer was around. She just couldn't. She was a naturally happy person, anyway.

"So, need any help?"

"You have work of your own." Paige contradicted, wanting to not be bothered.

"Not really…" Spencer said, taking his eyes off of the file folders, probably getting at the hint.

"Thanks anyway, Spence." Paige whispered, watching him walk away, with his hands in the pockets of his pants. She smiled to herself, thinking of how lucky she was, and then remembered she wasn't too lucky. The amount of reading she had to do was not something to be ignored. She picked up the top folder, and opened it up, and began reading of the absolutely true tales of murders, rapes, suicides, and kidnappings.

**_"Really nice neighbors scare me. Sometimes they're just way too nice."- Purple Hamburger._**

Paige and Jonas walked into the apartment at four-fifty-five o'clock. Paige decided to pick Jonas up from school, and they stopped at McDonald's to eat a quick snack. Paige loved Jonas, he was witty, and cute, a perfect fit for a lonely girl like Paige. Jonas and Paige cracked each other up.

"Hey, sis, did you bother to remember that we're going to the neighbors?" Jonas said, walking into his room for a split second, and then coming back out the next. Paige slumped her shoulders, and fell onto the couch.

"I love my little bratty brother." She said to the pillow next to her. Jonas giggled. "He's incredibly stupid to think I forget things easily." Paige continued, making Jonas laugh some more.

"Paige!" He wailed, throwing an unsharpened pencil at her head. She laughed, and picked up the pencil, sticking it behind her ear. Jonas pulled at Kit Kat bar out of his jeans pocket, and waved it in front of her face, taunting her.

"You know those are mine, Jonas!" She yelled, hitting him in the head with a pillow. Jonas laughed, and threw it to her. She set it on the coffee table, and both Singer kids sat back. They both sighed heavily, wondering what to say next.

"What time is it?" Jonas asked suddenly, remembering they were supposed to be at the neighbors at five.

"Five." Paige said sleepily.

"Paige." Jonas said, waiting for her to realize the obvious. She looked at him for a few minutes, and then jumped up from the couch.

"Oh yeah! Let's go." She said, making Jonas giggle. They both put on their shoes, and went out their door.

Jonas Singer knocked on the door, waiting for someone to open it. Paige stood behind him eagerly. The door finally swung open, revealing a man, dressed in a Quantico Police Department outfit.

"Hello, sir. I'm Paige Singer." Paige said, sticking out her hand.

"Ah, yeah! Patty was telling me about you two! Come on in. Sorry to say I can't stay," The man said, leading them inside the apartment. He had a rough voice, and a burly laugh. He was a sweetheart, and had a great personality. "I have to go to the station."

"Fancy that, sir." Paige said, laughing. "I work for the BAU." She told him, making him laugh as well.

"That is quite fancy. Anyway, it was nice meeting you two. Patty will be in here in a second, I assure you. See you later." The man said, ducking his head, and heading out the door. Paige and Jonas shrugged their shoulders, and waited.

"Liam!" A lady yelled from the kitchen. "The guests are here. Come greet them." A little kid came out of one of the rooms. He looked shy, and he smiled tightly. He shuffled over to them, and stuck out his tiny hand.

"I'm Liam. I'm in Jonas's grade." He said in a small timid voice. Paige laughed, and shook his hand. Jonas and Liam began asking each other the basic questions, and not five minutes later, they were gone into Liam's room.

Patty, Paige assumed, walked out of the kitchen. She looked to be in her forties and had long brown hair that was in a bun on her hand. She looked healthy and happy, all the ingredients for a caring Mother.

"I'm Patty Bronx. Liam is my son, and that was my husband you met. His name is Jack Bronx. Welcome." She greeted, shaking Paige's hand.

"Thanks for inviting us. Jonas hasn't made any real friends yet…" She answered back, losing her train of thought.

"Well, I heard you say FBI or something like that. With that type of job, you must be real tired. Are you a single Mom? You are pretty young, if I may say that." Patty said, and began blushing from embarrassment. Paige laughed, and shook her head.

"No, Jonas is my little brother. I'm not married, either. So, I need to figure out where he's going to go when I am away for the job…or else, I won't be able to take it…" Paige said, rambling on about unimportant things.

"Aw, sweetie. Just let him come over here. He can stay with us. I'm a stay at home Mom. I pick up Liam everyday from school. They can play together and all that. Please. Let him come over here." Patty insisted, smiling her butt off. Paige was about to cry, this was perfect.

"Oh, would you? That would be absolutely perfect! Thank you so much!" Paige said, clapping her hands together in merriment.

"No problem honey, Liam is pretty different himself…" Patty sighed, and led Paige into the kitchen so they could talk more while making dinner.

_**"Welcome to the jungle."- Guns 'N' Roses**_

It was finally that day. Paige was finally an agent.

"Congrats, girl!" Morgan cheered, giving her a huge hug, and kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, Morgan." She said. She couldn't stop smiling, and she was having a blast as the little 'party' they had thrown for her. Prentiss had given her a pair of high heels that she used to wear.

"They can stab someone if needed." She joked, handing them to Paige. Paige laughed, and thanked her. Morgan gave her at least twenty bear hugs, and a million kisses on the cheek. Garcia had given her a ring that she wore when she first started.

"Good luck ring." Garcia whispered to her, and slipped it into her palm. The ring was a small opal, which was Paige's favorite stone. Paige thanked her as well, and gave her a big hug.

Rossi stuffed a piece of cake into her face, his way of welcoming her onto the team. She licked most of it off, and gave Rossi a huge hug. Paige saw Rossi as an older brother; she loved him with all her might.

Hotch handed over her badge and gun, with a proud smile. He knew she worked hard for them, and he gave them to her with honor. He was extremely excited to have her aboard the team. Even if JJ was gone, he was glad the team had accepted Paige at once.

Spencer came up to her pretty much after everyone disbanded, cleaning up cake and confetti. He smiled nervously, and gave her a hug.

"Congratulations, Paige. I'm so happy for you!" He whispered to her, and let her go. She took his hand, and gave it a quick squeeze, along with an even quicker kiss on the lips. She smiled, and fled to her desk, taking in the moment. Her eyes glazed over the badge, she held onto it, and smiled proudly.

Paige made sure to call Patty and ask her to pick up Jonas from school once more. She already told Jonas that Patty was picking him up. She smiled, and left Patty a voice mail, and set her phone back down. She still couldn't believe it. She had done it.

She glanced up from her badge to see Morgan and Reid walking her way. She set the badge down, and put the gun on the holster that Hotch gave her. She put the badge and gun away on the desk, and turned her attention to the two men who were standing in front of her.

"Welcome to the jungle, Paige." Morgan joked, punching her lightly in the arm.

"I'll try and contain my joy." She said, rolling her eyes in mockery.

"Too late." Morgan said, and told her to grab her things, because they had a case.

"Gotta go regroup!" Spencer said, in fake excitement. She laughed, and grabbed her gun and badge, and went with the guys to the conference room.

Inside, the others were already seated, and it looked like Hotch had chosen a case. Paige looked up to see her boss staring grimly at a couple pictures of a word. He turned back to the team, and sighed.

"Okay, we're going to Grange, Michigan." Hotch began, and sighed once again. "Three male teens have turned up missing from the local high school. The next day, in one classroom there was a message on the floor."

"What did it say?" Rossi asked, leaning back in his seat.

"What's more interesting is what it's made out of." Hotch explained to him. "Human fingers." He said, watching the girl's noses wrinkle in disgust. "Test show that the blood on the fingers belong to two of the three missing males."

"Blood on the fingers? Sounds sort of sloppy…" Prentiss said, questioning the kidnapper's skills.

"Maybe we're dealing with another high schooler…" Paige suggested. "I mean, what did the message say?"

"It said 'You'." Hotch said, showing them the pictures taken of the scene. "Now, classes are to remain in session while we investigate so we can find any mysterious behavior. I'm sending Paige, Spencer and Penelope into the school undercover. You three will act like students undercover, and find out what you can. Understood? Guns will be hidden underneath clothes. Pen, will you be okay without one?" Hotch asked, directing attention on her.

"Yes, sir." Garcia said, bobbing her head up and down.

"The rest of us will be going around classrooms lecturing students on the importance of law enforcement and what not, just to work up this UnSub." Hotch gave everyone a serious look, and then looked as if he was forgetting something. "Oh, and we haven't found anything in common between the victims yet. Jet in twenty, everyone." Hotch walked out of the room, and the team remained.

"I really don't want to be in high school again." Reid stated simply.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you." Paige joked from beside him, putting her arm around his shoulders. Prentiss and Pen giggled at Paige.

"Well, this should be interesting." Pen said, shrugging. "I can't wait to try and hack into a school's network. There should be all sorts of juicy things in there." She rubbed her hands together, and looked back and forth.

"Who are the victims?" Rossi asked, making Paige wonder as well. She stood up, and grabbed the file folder.

"Anthony Kittredge, Dominick Harlow, and Henry Bowl." Paige said, showing Rossi the pictures of each victim.

"Does is specify which of the three were the ones used for the little message?" Morgan asked, raising his eyebrows. Paige pulled the folder back to herself, and flipped around the pages for a few minutes.

"Anthony and Henry. Dominick Harlow is still alive…well…he's not fingerless at least." She told them, shrugging. "There really isn't anything they have in common. Besides the fact that they're all in the same grade."

"This doesn't seem to mean much." Spencer concluded, sitting back in his chair, and laying his hands on his stomach.

"Basically." Paige whispered, as she looking for something else that would jump out at them. "The message said 'You'. Who is this 'you' he or she is trying to contact? Another student? A teacher? An enemy? Friend?"

"There are too many possibilities." Rossi said, pursing his lips. Everyone nodded their heads slowly, thinking and agreeing at the same time.

"I don't know, just yet, at least. I'll see you all on the jet." Rossi said, getting up and leaving the rest of the team.

**_"The envious die not once, but as oft as the envied win applause." –Baltasar Gracian._**

On the jet, Paige worried about her little brother. _He's fine, _her head told her. There was absolutely nothing to worry about. Besides the case.

Paige and Spencer were sitting together across from Morgan and Pen. Hotch and Prentiss were making coffee, while Rossi napped. Spencer was worried about his whole undercover assignment. He'd already went through high school once as a twelve year old; he wasn't looking forward to doing it again.

"I think I got something." Paige said brightly, while her eyes still skimmed the pages of the file. "All three victims were seen talking with a girl named Hannah Bentley before disappearing."

"Interesting." Hotch said as he and Prentiss came out of the back of the jet. "Who are these witnesses?"

"Um, one remained anonymous. The other is Caroline Red."

"Are all these students in the same grade?"

"All seniors." Paige confirmed, looking up at Hotch, who had a confused look on his face.

"I checked out the school website before we left, and saw that the senior prom was coming up soon." Pen interjected.

"I know this sounds silly, but that might be a motive for a teen." Prentiss suggested, wording her sentence carefully.

"Emily's right, Hotch." Paige said, pursing her lips. "Some rather immature teens will do anything to go to the prom with the one person they want to go with."

"And you guys think that the prom and Hannah Bentley have something to do with this?"

"I'm saying there's an awfully great chance of that." Paige said, her voice lowering a couple of octaves.

"Well, Reid, Singer, Garcia, you three will track down and friend Hannah Bentley and Caroline Red. Try and get them to talk a little more. When you find Hannah Bentley alone, bring her down to the Police station." Hotch directed them, then sat down, sipping his coffee slowly.

**_"The kids are cruel."_**

"Ready for your first day of school, Reid?" Morgan joked as Reid assembled a heavy backpack on his slim shoulders.

"Shut up." Reid grumbled, standing in the spotlight of attention miserably. Paige and Garcia came out, decked out in what was the 'in' style for kids now. Both wore skinny jeans (What Paige usually wore anyway) and tee shirts with band logos on them. Both girls had their backpacks slung over one shoulder, and came out talking. Spencer noticed that Paige's pants weren't extremely tight, so she could hide her gun better. It looked normal on her.

"Aw, Reid, come on. You know I'm just kidding. It's just; you get to hang around hot girls all day." Morgan said, putting a friendly arm around Spencer's shoulders.

"Excuse me?" Both girls said, making Morgan laugh. Paige came up to Spencer, who slid his arm around her shoulders. Garcia did the same with Morgan.

"Hotch said we needed to leave now." Paige said, sighing. They said goodbye to Morgan, and went out to one of the cars that was designated for them to drive. Paige got behind the wheel, Garcia in shotgun, and Spence in the back. She put it in drive, and followed the directions the Sheriff gave her.

When they reached the school, they headed in to the front office. The principal and vice- principal were standing there waiting for them to show. They asked all the other kids to leave the office, and then Paige noticed the Principal had all of the staff in the large main office.

"Hello, I'm Mr. Yields, Principal of this school." A tall, bony man said, shaking hands with the three agents.

"I'm Dr. Spencer Reid, and this is Agent Paige Singer, and this is out Tech Analyst, Penelope Garcia." Spencer introduced them to the staff. The principal turned to the staff, consisting of teachers, custodians, and others.

"These 'kids' shall not be harmed or anything of that sense. They will be allowed to text in class, they will not have to serve detention. If they act out in class, I hope it will be for good intentions. Do not announce that they are FBI." He explained to them. The staff bobbed their heads up and down, and disappeared to their classrooms.

"Okay, here are the schedules we have compiled for you. Each of you has one kid's schedule." The principal told them, handing them papers of classes and maps around the school.

"Our other agents will be here to lecture the classes." Paige told him as they exited the office, and went to their first class.

_***Spencer's class**_

"Class, this is Spencer Reid. He's new, so play nice!" A small lady, perhaps in her late forties said cheerfully. Spencer gulped, and looked at the class. None of them looked as if they even knew how to operate a gun. It almost made him smile, but he didn't. All he could notice was some sluttish looking girl staring at him. Awkward.

He sat down in the seat the teacher gave him, and scoped out the class once again. _Oh look; _he thought sourly, _I'm sitting behind little miss slut. How charming. _Spencer sighed, and rubbed his eyes. He couldn't believe what class this was, 15th century literature. Easy as pie.

He picked up a pencil, and drummed it on the desktop. He glanced warily up to the teacher, who was calling attendance. "Hannah Bentley?" She asked, again, way to cheerfully. The girl in front of Spencer raised her hand. So, that was Hannah Bentley. Wow…

Spencer watched her for the rest of class. When the teacher had declared that she was done teaching, there was about ten minutes left of the class. Hannah Bentley turned to face Spencer, and smiled seductively. Spencer tried to play it cool, but she was the part of their case.

"Hey there…" She said slowly, leaning onto his desk.

"Hello." Spencer said politely. She had obviously taken interest in him.

"So, Spencer, right?" She asked, twirling a piece of her long sandy blonde hair.

"Yes. Hannah, correct?"

"Correct." She said, smiling once again. "I like it when you say my name." She giggled. Spencer raised his eyebrows. _Ditz. _

"It's a very nice name." He told her, not exactly the whole truth. _A very, very nice name is Paige._

"Aw, thanks. So, do you want to eat lunch with me?" She asked her voice lowering. "Just," She said, leaning in, to reach his ear and whisper in it. "You and me?" Her breath tickled Spencer's neck, making her such a nuisance.

"Sure." He answered simply; she giggled, and told him she'd see him later. No wonder this UnSub wanted her, but she played every guy she knew. He (Or she…) probably shot the guys Hannah flirted with, and that would go along great with the prom.

Spencer sighed; today would be a long one.

_***Paige's class**_

Paige walked into the accounting class that Dominick Harlow had for first hour. She hated this class when she went to high school, and she hates it now. She sighed, and stepped in, only to see that there was no one in there. She looked outside the class, and how could she of missed it? The class and teacher were standing outside in a cluster, shouting.

Inside the class, there was message on the floor. Made of fingers, the message read 'will'. Will what? What the crap did that mean?

"Damn." Paige whispered under her breath. She pulled out her phone, and checked to see if the cluster of kids were still there. They were, for sure, and so was the teacher, trying to calm them down.

"Hotchner."

"Another message. In classroom C34."

"Got it, thanks Paige."

"No problem." She said, and then hung up. She went outside the classroom nonchalantly, and tried to fit into the crowd of students. She eavesdropped of some people's conversation while she waited for Hotch and Morgan to show up.

"Hannah, who was that guy in 15 lit. Today?" Some perky little girl with a short pink mini skirt on said.

"I dunno, he was hot, though."

"Not really..." The girl contradicted, looking at Hannah as if she was crazy.

"His name was like…Spencer or something." Hannah said, flipping the massive locks of blonde hair behind her shoulder. _Spence? This girl is definitely Hannah Bentley._ Paige thought, grimacing.

Paige tapped Hannah's shoulder, watching as she twirled around. "Can I help you?" Hannah said nastily. Hannah looked Paige up and down, sneering. Paige rolled her eyes.

"Are you Hannah Bentley?" Paige asked, putting her hands on her tiny hips.

"Yeah." Hannah said, chewing on a small piece of gum nervously. Paige nodded, and turned around just in time to see Hotch and Morgan running into the classroom. Paige smiled, and laughed, shaking her head. Those two seem like double 'O' sevens sometimes.

She couldn't shake the thought that this slutty little Hannah Bentley was flirting with Spencer. She couldn't.

_***Penelope's Class**_

Penelope sat down alone in her computer tech. Class. She raised her eyebrow at each tiny girl that sat down, and tried to start up the computer. She rolled her eyes, thinking that she was in hell for some reason.

"Alright, Garcy." She whispered to herself, as she waggled her fingers in front of the keyboard. She typed dangerously fast, and began bringing down the schools firewall. Not that there was much of one in the first place.

"Excuse me, Miss Penelope Garcia?" The teacher called out, startling Penelope out of her mind.

"Yes ma'am?" She asked, closing down the programs she was running on the computer.

"You're needed in room C34." The teacher stated, giving her a fake pass. Penelope walked into the hallway, and began walking to the classroom. What happened that was so important for her to be there? She bit her lip, and started jogging to the room, not wanting to keep her team held up.

When Garcia arrived, the door was closed, and there were two Grange police officers. They let her through, and she shuffled into the room. The room was large, with desks crammed into the back, and her team members snapping pictures in front of them.

"Garcia." Paige said, coming away from the focal point of everyone's attention.

"What happened, Paige?"

"Another message…" Paige grumbled, waving her hand to gesture to the scene. Penelope tried to get a closer look, but Morgan and Reid's butts were in the way. She pressed her lips together to form a tight line, and made her eyes into slits. What did this one say?

"What's it say?" She whispered to Paige, who was still standing next to her, watching the others work diligently. Paige raised her eyebrows, and bit her lip.

"It said 'will'."

"Will what?" Penelope asked, raising her hands into the air. "This is weird." She stated, shifting her weight onto her right foot. She hated the shoes she was wearing, they pinched her feet. She just wished she was back in her office. She didn't like the field.

"That's what we're wondering." Paige sighed, and rubbed her brow. She thrust her hands onto her small hips, and stared at the message. They had a clear view of it now. "You will…you will…"

"It's going to end up a command or threat most likely." Spencer said, approaching the two girls. He crossed his arms over his chest, and drew in a deep breath. Paige bit her cheek, not sure what the last word could say. It could say anything.

"Three words, three suspects. That would make sense. Maybe." Prentiss said, joining the group's small, and seemingly useless, conversation.

"Wait…but, wasn't there a mix of Anthony and Henry's fingers? Is this the same mix, or is it all three? He's gonna run out of fingers at some point." Paige pointed out, carefully examining the evidence of the case.

"True. We'll have to wait for Forensics." Morgan told them, as he turned away from the message left for whomever. He shrugged, and pulled off his gloves, throwing them in a waste bin next to a teacher's desk.

"Garcia," Prentiss said, tugging on her shirt sleeve like a little five year old would do with his Mother. "Can you get into any student files and look to see if there's any mention on any documents of girls, the dance, jealousy…Anthony, Henry, Dominick? Anything like that would be helpful."

"I-I'm on it." Pen nodded fast, and quickly jolted out of the room.

"I'm going. My class is now somewhere else." Paige mumbles, pulling off her own gloves and tossing them. "Adios, amigos." She calls to them, as she makes a swift move for the door, waving as she left.

Paige didn't like where this was going, between Hannah and Spencer, and the messages. She knew something was bound to happen that was going to totally piss her off.

_***"To my sick soul, as sin's true nature is, Each toy seems prologue to some great amiss, So full of artless jealousy and guilt, It spills itself in fear to being spilt."- Shakespeare **_

Back at the station, Hotch was pacing, mumbling incoherent things to him, while the team stood and watched. He glanced up at the awkwardly assembled team, and kept pacing back and forth. Spencer gritted his teeth, while Paige rocked back and forth on her heels, both suffering from nervous habits. Paige crossed her arms over her chest, and stood still, waiting for Hotch to say something.

The station was dry, and gray. Literally, everything was gray. The only semi-colorful thing about the place was the mahogany desks and blue desk chairs. They stood in a group in the back, while the officers worked at their desks, on…ensuing cases, details on ominous things, and planning other things. Garcia watched them work diligently, wishing she could be behind her computer, safe and sound. She bit her lip and stared at them, zoning out.

"Garcia." Morgan's somewhat deep voice rang in her ears, making her blink a couple times, and look back at him.

"Yeah?" She asked, smoothing her hands over her hair, nervously.

"You didn't find anything?"

"I found one thing, and I uploaded it to this USB port I had in my bag." She told him, walking past him to a gray slate table, where her bag sat. She dug through it, until she finally pulled out a small USB port, and brought it over to her laptop, also sitting on the gray table. She opened up the laptop quickly, murmuring to it to start up faster.

She fixed up the laptop, and put the port into the correct slot for it in the computer. She started up her Computer options, and pulled up the documents. Morgan and her went over it, deciding to trash it, it being seemingly useless compared to their leads now.

"Anyone else have anything? Reid." Hotch asks, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger. Reid cleared his throat, and glanced to Paige. He really didn't like what he had to say, but he had to say it.

"Hannah Bentley…seems, to have an attraction to me. So, I've played on it, and she was pretty much eating out of the palm of my hand."

"Or vice versa." Paige grumbled beside him, turning slightly so he couldn't glare at her as easily. That, of course, didn't stop Spencer from giving her a menacing look, and turning back to face his boss.

"I see. Have you talked to her yet about any recent stalkers or letters?"

"Not yet."

"Okay, get on that tomorrow. Singer." Hotch said, walking slowly over to Paige, who's scratching the back of head nervously.

"I met Hannah as well. No click there. She already has made up her mind about me. Although, her friend I saw her with I have identified as Caroline Red. I'm planning on approaching her tomorrow." She said quickly, glancing up anxiously, awaiting a terrible lecture from the boss man. Instead, Hotch nodded gravely, and moved on to the next victim.

Paige sighed in relief, and stole a quick look at Spencer. He seemed unfazed by her looks, and went on to examining the files for clues. She rolled her eyes, and turned away from him, hastily and aimlessly walking away from him. She stopped, and pulled her phone from her pocket. She flipped it open, and saw she had one message.

_Just wanted to say hi. Hope you're home soon. Although, I'm having fun at Liam's. We're like brothers now. It's great. Love you, Paige. – Jonas._

She gritted her teeth, and sighed. Sometimes she wished she hadn't gotten stuck with Jonas. Other times she wished she hadn't taken this job. She couldn't tell which one she was fighting with and or against. Job and Jonas? Jonas mattered more, but this job was meaningful as well. She was torn between two things that were endearingly close to her heart. She flipped her phone closed, and settled into a near by chair, it was brown, and the fabric hard and scruffy.

She leaned back, and put her head in one of her hands, while she balled the other into a fist. She thought long and hard, until something finally hit her. Anthony, Henry and Dominick were all caught flirting with Hannah before they disappeared. They all disappeared after walking out of the school, so around the same time. This meant…Spencer had good chance of being his next target. Even if he _hadn't _seen Spencer coming, he was still a very large target.

Paige sprang out of the seat, and swiftly moved to the group's discussion area around the large gray table.

"Guys." Paige yelled out, trying to get everyone's attention.

"What, Singer? What's wrong?" Hotch asked, putting a balled up fist underneath his chin.

"Anthony, Henry, and Dominick were all targets, right? Right, okay, so they were all seen flirting with Hannah by the UnSub, and they were all taken around the same time, when school got out. Well, who do we know who's in the same situation as them?" She explained quickly, using hand motions, and gestures to emphasize her point.

"Reid." Hotch whispered, making the whole group look at young Dr. Reid.

"I'm a target."

"I think so." Paige confirmed, leaning onto the table. "I think that you should get information, but also, look out for anyone whose face keeps popping up when you're with Hannah."

"I see." Spencer said, weighing out the options before him. Could, or should, he even believe Paige? She's acting so…jealous. Reid sighed, defeated in his own little game. She was jealous, wasn't she? In a way, he was kind of glad. At least that meant she did perhaps, like him as much as she said she did. On the other hand, he felt like a jerk. But, Hannah, and all of this, wasn't real. He didn't even like Hannah!

"Caroline Red and I seem to have something in common." She finished off, tapping her chin with a finger.

"Oh? What's that?"

"Never mind…" Paige said, staring at Spencer. She clucked her tongue as he smirked devilishly at her.

"The dance is tomorrow night." Hotch informed them, making them snap back into the reality of things. "Spencer, you are going with Hannah, keep her safe, and keep an eye out for predators. Singer, Garcia, you're back up. If something gets out of hand, then you butt in, and radio us. Got it? Morgan, Rossi, and I will be stationed outside the dance. It's our only shot." Hotch briefed them, and then let them go to the motel the Sheriff arranged for them to stay at for the night.

_***"I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it."- Mae West**_

Spencer and Paige walked into the school together; Garcia had gone early to start up any searches throughout the school's network. They walked a fair distance away from each other, and didn't bother to look at each other. They were both indeed crazy for each other, but the other obviously did not get that.

Spencer immediately saw Hannah Bentley waiting for him by the locker temporarily assigned for him. Paige rolled her eyes and chewed her cheek. She stopped dead in her tracks, and watched Spencer as he kept his pace, walking slowly to Hannah, and away from her. She growled under her breath, and turned sharply on her heel. She ran into some girl –Caroline Red.

"Whoops, sorry." She said, bending down to pick up her brown paper bag, most likely her lunch.

"My bad. Caroline, right?" Paige friendlily said, she grinned, and began walking with Caroline.

"Yeah. Didn't you just come yesterday? I saw you with Spencer. Hannah absolutely hates you for that…" Caroline said, shaking her head absentmindedly.

"Spence is a friend." Paige shrugged, and looked down to watch her feet walk daintily over the smooth and cold tiled flooring.

"Or more…" Caroline suggested, glancing over at her new apparent friend.

"I guess not." Paige simply replied, not reading much into it. She was embarrassed. "So, do you know anything about Hannah and guys? Like, does any guy like…absolutely fall over her?" Paige questioned slowly.

"Well, just about everyone she meets." Caroling thought on that for a second. "Besides Spencer. But, one that comes to mind is Jerry Prouden. He comes to mind when I'm thinking of the word stalker. It's soooooo creepy." She explained, making an effort to emphasizing the o's on her 'so'. Paige nodded quickly, and said she'd catch up with Caroline in first hour, but she had to go find her other friend. Caroline waved goodbye to her, and watched her take off down the opposite hallways.

Paige eventually reached the Girl's bathroom, and pulled out her cell phone. She locked the door to enter the bathroom, and dialed Hotch's phone number. He immediately picked up.

"Hotchner."

"Hey, just talked to Caroline Red."

"She's our witness?"

"Yes. She said one person who comes to mind when she thinks of stalker is a boy named Jerry Prouden." Paige told him, checking her reflection in the mirror. She liked what she saw, so she turned around to focus on her job.

"God, Singer. Try to find him. Go find Garcia and ask her to pull up his records and send them to us." Hotch said, carefully giving her the instructions.

"Yes, sir." She said into the phone's receiver anxiously. Hotch hung up, and she closed her phone and thrust it back into her front pocket. She assembled her jeans so her firearm didn't show, and walked out of the bathroom.

She walked out into Hannah, who was trying to walk into the bathroom.

"Why was the door locked?" She asked, playing dumb. Paige knew better.

"Why don't you try to use the little ounce of intelligence to find out, Hannah." Paige smirked, and left Hannah standing in the threshold of the bathroom, glaring daggers at her. At some point, this girl's going to thank her, anyway. Paige ran down to the computer lab located in the basement. No one in the school goes down there to use it, so they gave Penelope a chance to use it.

Paige knocked on the dusty door, and watched it swing open, groaning in protest as it did. Pen smiled, and waved awkwardly, and welcomed Paige in. Garcia sat back down at the computer she had selected, and told Paige to sit.

"What do you need, kitten?"

"Files, records, on Jerry Prouden." Paige answered, watching as Garcia's fingertips brushed the keys as she began typing like a madman. Paige admired the skill Garcia had. It was daring and intriguing.

"Eighteen goes to the school. Printing out his class schedule right now. He's got no criminal record." Garcia told Paige, watching Paige's eyes flicker on and off the screen.

"Print out his picture for me, and send these to Hotch and Morgan." Paige ordered, taking the printed schedule, and glancing over it. "Thanks, Pen."

"No problem. Now, hurry and solve this case." Pen communicated, brushing Paige off now by staring at her screen and paying her no attention. Paige cracked a smile, and left without another word. She stormed up the stairs, hoping she could make it to his first class. 15th Century Lit.

When Spencer and Hannah arrived to their class, they were the first ones. The teacher, the ever so cheery Ms. Hound, wasn't even around yet. They walked in, talking silently. Spencer walked aimlessly to his seat, only to be greeted by sloppy and bloody fingers sprawled out on his desk.

"Oh my god!" Hannah shrieked, her hands flying to her mouth. No, it wasn't just fingers. They said something this time around, as well. Spencer concentrated at it for a second, trying to figure out what it said. His desk was much smaller than the floor that the UnSub had been working with.

The message said die. And, that of course, made perfect and predictable sense. You will die, that message said. He called it. Threat or command. And, this was one quite of a threat. Spencer also noticed that the killer had more blood stains on these fingers rather than the other two sets.

Something wasn't turning out the way they should of. At least, not in Spencer Reid's case.

**Okay, folks, there you have it. 22 pages long, this one turned out. I'd like to thank Shanini86, Getsemone, CrazyR, and Bbystarlette for being awesome, I guess. The next chapter will finish up this case, and something else. Still coming up with that part…**


	6. Reid's Games and Other Annoyances

**I'm very mad right now, so, I'm getting down on some mad typing. Wish me luck.**

**-Rage**

**I love your story! **

**-CrazyR**

_**"Life hates me today."- McKenna**_

Penelope Garcia raised an eyebrow in disbelief. There was absolutely nothing on this system. Either no one bothered to write anything down, or someone was erasing every track of Jerry Prouden.

It was her job to figure out something about this kid. While Hotch, Morgan, Rossi, and Prentiss stayed back at the station, her Reid, and Singer were still searching. It seemed like a useless thing, since no one could dig anything up. The Grange Police Station's files were sloppy, and the computer network was poor. Nothing screamed protective about there filing systems, which pissed Garcia off.

She typed madly, pounding at the keyboard, as if it were the one causing the lack of information. Singer watched her from the seat next to Garcia, listening closely to the sounds of the keyboard's keys clicking. Paige looked around the abandoned lab, wondering when it had last been used. The light switches did not work, and everything was dusty. There were small windows lining the very top of each wall, which didn't give much light. The counter that was to the left of you when entering the lab had a broken coffee pot, and blank pieces of paper scattering it. The many other computers had missing mousses, broken monitors, and broken towers.

Garcia had fixed up in advanced the one she was using, making it work twice as fast. It still bothered her that she had to come to Michigan just to look and search through files that said nothing. Unless…they were meant to say nothing? Maybe the UnSub had a talent for computers. Maybe, he hacked through the poor firewall, and brought down files that said too many things. Or, perhaps a Trojan was placed? Garcia clucked her tongue at the empty file folders displayed on the screen. Looking for this long, and nothing. It seemed like Hotch was just giving the three agents work that really had no meaning.

Garcia pulled up Internet Explorer, and typed up a few key words for a search. Maybe something could come up. _Something, anything could be useful, _she thought. Her fingers typed fast, and she hit the enter button, awaiting the results. Had the computer failed her? Or, had she failed it, not being able to realize something hiding right under her nose? She was seriously about to give up, when something came up.

_Grange Kid Found in Abandoned House—Grange Headliners. _The local newspaper of Grange. Penelope clicked the link, and was brought to an online article. She skimmed through it, picking up hints of something bigger within each line she glanced at.

"You two, look!" She shouted, her excitement taking over her mind, clouding it with the events of the article.

"Gerald Harry Prouden, 15, found in an abandoned house in the forest areas that surround Grange." Paige mumbled, skimming as well. "This is good. Print it out, and send a link to Hotch." She instructed, Garcia doing just that.

"Call Hotch, Singer." Reid ordered, heading for the door almost immediately. Paige rolled her eyes, knowing that it was lunchtime and he had business to attend to with Hannah. She even hated that name, it sounded so nasally.

"Right away, boss." She whispered to herself, her sarcasm showing through her calm façade. She flipped open the silver Razor she owned, and hit the number two button- Hotch's speed dial.

"Hotchner."

"Hey, Garcia just found an article. It says something about a fifteen year old named Gerald Harry Prouden being found drinking and smoking in an abandoned house, right in the forest outside of Grange."

"When was it printed?"

"Garcia," Paige whispered, putting her hand over the speaker. "When was the article published?"

"Three years ago." She answered, scrolling through the article once more.

"That matches Jerry Prouden." Hotch spoke, seemingly hearing Garcia.

"Same name." Paige agreed.

"What's the address? I'll send Morgan and Rossi to get a warrant and search it."

"1873 Western Horace Street." Paige answered, looking over Garcia's shoulder.

"Alright. You and Garcia can come back to the station. Pack up anything you have over there. The next plan of business is the dance."

"Alright. We'll be there soon." Paige hung up, and stuffed the phone in her pocket, chewing on her cheek. "We can go now, Garcia."

"Oh, thank God." Penelope breathed in relief, smiling as wide as the Cheshire cat from _Alice in Wonderland. _The action made Paige think of Jonas. She wondered how he was doing, and if he was okay. She hoped the case was solved soon, so she'd be able to see him. As soon as she got back, she would definitely do whatever he wanted to do.

Paige helped Garcia get together anything that was left, which included the Starbucks coffee cups that were scattered across the desks. Penelope glanced at Paige, and smiled, wondering how she could ask her the question that her mind had been mauling over all morning. "Paige?" She squeaked.

"Yeah?" Paige answered, bending over to pick up another cup.

"You do know Reid's just trying to make you jealous, right?"

"Yeah." Paige sighed, turning to face Garcia. "Yeah, I know."

"I think it's cute." She offered, a sweet smile playing at her lips.

"I wouldn't call it cute." Paige objected, crossing her arms over her chest.

"He's just playing a game. I think it's his way of making sure you'll stay." Penelope guessed shrugging her fuzzy white fur clad shoulders.

"Games." Paige mused, chuckling to herself.

"C'mon, Paige." Garcia said, laughing as they saw their way out of the old dusty lab. They started up the stairs, and to the main doors of the school. "I'll drive!" Paige declared, breaking out into a run for the black SUV.

"Suit yourself." Penelope shouted laughing at her friends random energy bursts. She finally reached the car, and slid in carefully. Paige started it up, and pulled out of the parking lot, and pulled out into the lonely street.

As they drove back, they chatted about old members of the gang, old cases, and past relationships. Paige smirked when Penelope started talking about when Derek first started flirting with her. They were adorable together, no doubt. Garcia was still waiting for the big question, and of course, it was Derek's every intention to deliver it to her. Paige had no doubt that those two would be together forever.

She did have her doubts, though. And that was a long, terrible list of you-don't-want-to-knows. Paige gnawed on her bottom lip, and sighed. She almost forgot to turn into the parking lot, hadn't it been for Penelope to wake her from her daze.

"Geez, girl, trying to kill us?" Penelope joked as they walked into the station. Paige blushed, and laughed nervously. Hotch greeted them dryly as ever, and walked them over to the gray table.

"Let's regroup." He suggested, as they all sat down. Prentiss walked over, and joined them.

"Okay, we know that Jerry may have a hide out. We also know that he wasn't in school today. We know he's going to show up to the dance, and try to kill Spencer, because Spencer's his biggest threat." Prentiss began, speaking firmly. She took a seat next to Paige, and placed her arms, folded, delicately on the table.

"Morgan and Rossi got the warrant, and they'll be at the house in about five."

"What if he's there?" Paige pondered, lifting an eyebrow at her boss.

"We'll bring him in for questioning."

"If he's not?" Prentiss pressed.

"We'll wait for the dance." He stated simply. The three girls nodded carefully, and waited for any further instruction. When nothing was said, they just sat, and waited. The only thing they could wait for was Morgan and Rossi's phone call. That call was the only thing judging what would happen.

**_"An agents only as good as his gadgets."- Spy Kids 2_**

Derek Morgan and Dave Rossi split up, Morgan on front, Rossi on back. The house was small, at least a living room, bathroom, and bedroom. Rossi stood on the right side of the rundown house, waiting for Morgan's signal. Morgan drew his gun, as did Rossi, and went forth to the door. Morgan knocked, waiting for someone to answer. When no one did, he had no problem with kicking the door down.

Rossi went around back, swinging his armed hand in front of him just in case. He swung it around the corner of the house, and checked the back door. It was unlocked, so he slipped in quietly and casually. He saw Morgan standing in front of the broken door, and laughed.

"Nothing."

"Same." Rossi noted, observing the crappy state of the house. The kitchen reeked, and was filled with dirty dishes, and cheap ashtrays. The living room had clothes and cigarette butts everywhere. The back room was filled with broken lighters, empty bottles, and pictures of kids.

Morgan kneeled down by the pictures. There were a few of Hannah, and one of each victim. He looked away from them, and thought to himself. Where would this kid be able to store a body? Well, here. He stared at the ground, Rossi doing the same. Bloodstains were so visible, that it was obvious that it was a sloppy teen doing this work.

"Is there a basement?" Rossi asked his eyes widening as Derek shrugged his shoulders. Both men stood, and looked all around. There was either a basement or an attic.

"Check by the back door for a hidden stair case or something." Morgan shouted to Rossi, who stood in the living room, dumbfounded.

"Right," He whispered, shuffling into the kitchen to check the backdoor again. He saw the door, and then he looked to the opposing wall. He touched it, felt it. There had to be some sort of secret- _got it. _He felt the crack in between the wall and the well-hidden door that matched the wallpaper extremely well. He opened it up forcefully, and called for Morgan.

"Alright. I'll go down. If there are bodies, we got our guy. If there isn't…" Morgan started, but didn't want to jinx the whole operation, so decided not to finish his sentence.

"Have fun." Rossi joked, holding the door open for him. Morgan sighed deeply, and then shrugged his shoulders.

"Here goes nothing." He whispered to himself, and then stepped down the staircase that the door revealed. The stairs creaked and moaned in protest as he carefully stepped onto them, one by one. He could smell something grotesque, so he pinched his nose quickly, and began moving more quickly.

As he reached his bottom step, he clicked on his small flashlight. He shined it around the room, and took a step forward, stepping into something that made a splash. He pointed his flashlight to his soaked boot. And, what more could it be, besides blood? He wrinkled his nose, and shook his head.

One more shine of the light exposed the three bodies, all huddled in a corner. Derek rushed toward them, and checked to see if any were alive. They were not. He let out a deeply troubled breath, and stood up straight and tall. "Rossi." He sputtered. "Found them."

"Guess we'll treat it like a crime scene, then?" Rossi shouted from the top of the stairs.

"Call Hotch." Morgan declared, coming back up the stairs, bringing the blood of the young men up with him on his left boot. Rossi glared at the boot, and slowly took out his cell phone. He dialed Hotch's number, and put the phone to his ear.

"Hotchner."

"Hey, we found the three bodies. All dead. No Jerry."

"Alright. The police will be there shortly. We'll have to wait for the dance." Hotch told Rossi, and hung up the phone.

"Police will be here shortly." Rossi quoted to Derek. Derek merely nodded, and opened the back door, stepping out and taking a deep breath.

_**"So, you think you can dance?"**_

The team stood in the room with the gray table, waiting for something to do. Morgan and Garcia stood next to each other, occasionally bumping each other's shoulder playfully. Prentiss was still looking over pictures of the dead bodies that were found, along with Rossi. They argued on different topics that changed every few minutes, which amused Paige. Spencer was with Hotch, who was helping him find something to wear to the dance.

Spencer and Hotch finally arrived back, Hotch letting Spencer walk into the room before him for attention. He was dressed in a black tuxedo, and his hair was slightly gelled back. He wore a smug smile, and was standing up straight. Paige rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms. Hotch walked in, and smiled for a brief second at Spencer.

"Alright. Penelope, Paige…. I'll have Prentiss help you. Hurry up." Hotch said, jabbing his thumb into the direction of the door, signaling them to get out. Prentiss, Singer, and Garcia jogged out of the room, scared of Hotch and what he might do to them. They giggled, and then walked out of the station.

They found a small boutique, and found some dresses that fit Garcia perfectly. She chose a lime green dress that went down to her knees, and had silver beads that lined the bodice. She looked gorgeous. She found lime green pumps that went with it, and she twisted her long blonde hair up into a sloppy, yet very hot bun. Prentiss clapped as she walked out of the dressing room. Paige giggled, and wolf whistled at her.

"Derek's not gonna know what to do with himself, Pen." Paige joked, as the three girls erupted with laughter.

"You're next, missy." Prentiss declared, pulling Paige into the mazes of dresses.

"Oh my gosh! This one is perfect for her, Emily!" Penelope yelled from the other side of the store, receiving horrid looks from the staff and other shoppers. Penelope held up a dark purple dress, spaghetti strap. She tossed it to Paige when she was finally in sight, and told her to try it on. Paige didn't protest.

When she stepped out of the dressing room, the purple dress swished around her knees. The material was beautiful, and the dress fit her perfectly. The dark color made her skin look almost like it glowed, and the purple flats she picked out for herself went with the dress wonderfully. Prentiss took her beautiful curls, and twisted them together to create another bun for Paige, that looked just as good on her.

Paige smiled brilliantly, and twirled in the dress. She giggled, and felt as if she was a little girl again, playing dress up, and modeling clothes for her Mother, who would always clap for her. The memories caught her off guard, making her stop laughing, and start wondering. Her Mom…was dead. Her Dad, he was in jail. Her brother and her were just left. No one was around anymore, besides Lizzie. She didn't even see Lizzie that often, and when she did, she was the happiest person alive. Prentiss cleared her throat, forcing Paige to uplift from her memories and fonder days, and look at the situation in front of her.

She and Penelope were about to walk into a dangerous, not to mention hot, sweaty, and disgusting gymnasium with a bunch of horny teens. They were to watch the back of their agent, Reid, and watch him cozy up to Hannah Bentley, neighborhood slut. And, while Paige's heart was to sink, she had to watch out for any suspicious activity, and watch for a finger cutting teen, which is just as horny as any other teen there. Oh, where was the irony? And, at that point, when he most likely points a gun at Spencer, and tires to take a shot, the rest of the BAU team will charge in, and get everyone else out. There, Jerry will confess his twisted, undying love for Hannah, and will attempt to shoot himself if he can't have her. Someone will stop him, they'll leave, and Paige will sleep in her own bed for once.

"Paige, we got to get back to the station." Prentiss announces, making Paige snap out of the nagging voices in her head. Paige nods, and then throws some money on the counter for the dress. The cashier gives her a dirty look, and hands her back twenty dollars. Paige takes it back hurriedly, and walks out the door with the others. They all climb into the car, and drive back to the station. Prentiss was driving, Garcia in shotgun, and Paige in the back, where she rested her head on the cold window, still thinking of the situation. She wrinkled her nose, and sighed, attracting attention from her partners. Prentiss glanced uneasily at Penelope, who smiled in return.

"Isn't kinda cute, Garcia?" Prentiss asked, her voice mocking, and face a mask of fake joy.

"What, Emily?" Garcia played along, using the same mocking tone, and same facial expression. Paige lifted her head off the glass, and scowled at them.

"The way Paige thinks of Spencer _all the time_." Prentiss said, adding extra pressure to the last few words. Paige gritted her teeth, and listened to them talk about her and Spencer for the last few moments of the car ride.

_All the time._

Was it even all the time? Paige furrowed her eyebrows, and thought to herself again. She did this until she noticed that she was needed to get out of the car with Prentiss and Pen. She climbed out of the back carefully, and walked into the station with them. She walked behind them, hiding behind them, almost hoping not to be noticed. When they came to the room with the gray table, Derek immediately wolf whistled at Penelope. She did look fantastic. The dress was purely made for her, and if this wasn't obvious, Paige didn't know what was.

Derek took Penelope's hand, and kissed in tenderly. She smiled, and gave him a little hug in return. He smiled, and held her close, while he waited for Paige to step up into the spotlight.

"Come on, Paige!" Penelope cheered, making everyone else stare at her in return. She blushed, and rubbed the back of her neck, suddenly feeling herself tense up. Rossi, Hotch, and Spencer came up closer, and checked over Pen's dress.

"You look fabulous, Pen." Rossi complimented, ducking his head mannerly.

"Thank you, Rossi. But, you should check out Paige. She's so beautiful." Garcia answered smugly, smiling devilishly at Paige.

Spencer lifted his eyes onto Paige, and was taken aback a bit. She was actually…well, beautiful. He smiled to himself, unsuccessfully trying to hide it. The purple made her green eyes stand out, and her pale skin glowed underneath the soft material. Her hair was sloppy, the way she normally had it up, which still made her believable. He wished in the back of his mind that she were his 'date' rather than Hannah.

"Okay, thanks Penelope, no need to choke everyone with it." Paige whispered, smiling a little at the admiring looks she was receiving. She shuffled over to the gray table, and picked up her gun, fastening it to her upper thigh, where it was unnoticeable. She adjusted her dress around it, and made it look completely normal.

"You look great, Paige. No one disagrees here, either." Garcia countered, crossing her arms, and giving her a look saying '_I'm right. Shut up._'. Paige pursed her lips, and nodded her head very slowly.

Hotch checked his watch, it was six-fifty three. "Time to go. Morgan, Rossi, Prentiss get your vests. You three get out of here. If you need us, send a blank text to any of us, and we'll come in with S.W.A.T." He explained, strapping his own vest on, and adjusting his gun on his own holster.

"Got it. C'mon, everyone, I'll drive." Paige answered him, and began walking to the door. Garcia and Reid followed her, and trailed her to the car. Garcia sat in the backseat, and Reid was in shotgun. Paige started the car, and warmed it up. It was actually starting to snow now, which was a bummer. But, Michigan weather was just like that.

When she got on the road, she noticed Spencer kept throwing glances her way. She kept her hands at ten and two on the steering wheel, trying to seem the least interested. She felt immature, but she couldn't help it. She didn't know what to do. She tapped her thumbs on the wheel as she leaned forward to see through the snow.

"You look great." Spencer whispered, now staring at her, with sad and lonesome eyes. Paige still didn't look at him, but let a small, warm smile hit her face.

"Thanks." She whispered back, leaning back into the seat, and leaving her hand at two, but taking the other off ten. She used that one to rub her neck again. It was killing her now, which didn't help the case what so ever. She rubbed it as she sat at a red light, cursing under her breath for it to change.

"So…should I just stick with Paige?" Garcia asked awkwardly from the back seat. She took her phone out of the clutch handbag she brought, and toyed with it nervously.

"I guess. I mean, Paige has a gun, has protection just in case someone knows you're with us." Reid answered, shrugging his shoulders, but not turning around to face Garcia.

"Oh." She said, putting the cell phone back in the clutch, and stared out the window.

"Is that a problem?" Paige asked, her voice edgy and hard. She looked back at Garcia, facial expression confused, and hurt.

"Not at all, I was just wondering." Penelope muttered, continuing her staring out the window. Paige shrugged, and slowly pressed the gas pedal as the light turned to a florescent green.

Once they finally reached the dance, Spencer saw Hannah waiting for him by the door. Her dress was light blue, and went down to her mid-thigh. Paige raised her eyebrows, and scoffed. _Yeah, no competition, _she thought sadly. Spencer said good-bye to them, and jogged over to Hannah. Paige decided to no longer watch, and turned to Penelope.

"Ready?"

"As ever. These boys better be hot."

"I figure he'll make a scene in the middle or ending of the night, so be alert. You know the picture, correct?"

"Yes ma'am." Penelope answered, standing up straight, and saluting to Paige.

Paige smiled warmly. "At ease." She chuckled. "Let's go in, it's freezing."

_**"Isn't it messed up, how I'm just dying to be him?"- Fall Out Boy**_

Paige and Penelope walked into the gymnasium full of doubt and mock horror. The gym did smell as bad as Paige predicted, and more. The boys were falling over the girls; the girls were like sirens, calling to the boys, only to kill them with a deadly touch. Yikes. Garcia and Paige immediately started scooping out the scene, looking for Jerry. If anything, he was probably hiding in the dark, creepy shadows where no one lurked besides the nerds who came, hoping they would find their dates in the jungle that is a high school dance.

They stood by the snack table, both sipping on fruit punch. Paige watched Hannah flirt with Spencer, and him trying to flirt back with much, too much, effort. She sighed, and looked away, looking at other couples. She spotted Caroline Red and her boyfriend, dancing to some slow song that was probably on a top forties list on some stupid radio station. Garcia swung her hips, let herself go, dipping in and out of high school and FBI.

"No one yet…" She whispered to Paige, alerting her that she was in fact paying very close attention. Paige thought Penelope's secret talent was being silent, but deadly. She could watch people, and pay very close attention, catch the smallest bit of detail in the largest bit of information. She was marvelous.

"I know…dance just started. I doubt he'll do anything yet…" Paige whispered back, watching her punch slosh back and forth in the plastic cup. She scrunched up her face, and set it down on the table. Someone can spike it and have it as theirs.

Paige watched for another hour or so, her feet getting tired after a while. She shifted her weight from foot to foot every few minutes. She winced, and looked over at Garcia. She shrugged, and took Paige's arm, leading her over to a row of chairs. They sat, and watched from there. Nothing. Where was this guy?

Suddenly, Paige noticed out of the corner of her eye, a guy wearing all black, just enough to fit into the shadowy corner of the gym, where the lights did not reach and shine into. He was watching Paige and Garcia, but more importantly, he was watching Spencer and Hannah. The man began walking forward, onto the dance floor, and straight toward Hannah and Spence.

"Garcia…" Paige said, standing up, and started walking slowly after him. Garcia pulled out her phone, and sent a blank text to Hotch, informing them and the S.W.A.T team outside that it was time.

The guy, Jerry, as Paige could identify him now with the lights showing his face, was fiddling with something in his pocket. She walked up behind him, and watched him pull out a small handgun, and aim it at Spencer's head. Paige gasped quietly, and pulled her own gun out, pointing it at his head.

"She's…mine…" Jerry announced shakily.

"Jerry, you don't have to do this." Spencer replied, glancing at Paige, who was holding her gun right next to his head.

"No, Jerry, you really don't." She said from behind him, scaring him so much, that he actually jumped.

"I…I have too. Hannah loves me, and I lover her too…." He blubbered through tears that were swiftly running down his cheeks. Hannah stood off to the side, her hands to her mouth. Finally, Hotch came over and took her away, along with the massive crowd being escorted out of the dance. The only people left were Paige, Spencer, Jerry, Garcia, and Morgan.

"Put the gun down, Prouden." Morgan yelled, his voice harsh and warning. He was holding his own gun up, waiting for a clean shot just in case he didn't back down. The moments passed, as Prouden kept his gun still aimed at Spencer's head. Spencer stood, shaking and with his hands up in surrender.

"Prouden, you don't have to kill anyone anymore. It's over." Paige noted, sighing deeply behind him. In a flash, he turned around took her gun, and pointed the gun at her head and Spencer's. He moved towards her slowly, and put a tight arm around her neck, nearly choking her.

"You're right, I don't, do I?" He whispered in her ear, so she could only hear him. His hot breath tickled her ear and neck, sending shivers down her spine. It worsened when she realized what was happening. "Thank you. I'm sorry I killed those kids." Paige held her breath, waiting for him to shoot either her or Reid.

He dropped Paige's gun, and pointed the other to his own head. Without a second to loose, he pulled the trigger, sending all sorts of blood onto Paige's face, neck, and arms. He dropped dead onto the gym floor, and left Paige standing alone, shuddering, and staring at the blood on her in sorrowful amazement.

"Paige…" Spencer asked, coming up behind her, and setting his hands on her shoulder. "You okay?"

"She's fine, Reid. Let's go." Morgan answered him, taking Paige softly by the arm, and leading her out. When she came out, she saw Hotch and Rossi staring at her, their faces masks of stone. Prentiss ran up to her, and asked her if she was okay. She didn't know. Reid and Garcia walked behind Morgan and her, Garcia wishing she could have done something.

Reid looked over to the crowd, and saw Hannah staring at him. He didn't think it fair just leaving her without an explanation, so he walked over to the crowd. They stared at each other, her eyes meeting his. Normally, this would excite him, if it were the right person's eyes. But, hers did nothing to him, just left him with a guilty feeling that he didn't feel he needed to possess.

"You're a cop?" She asked incredulously.

"FBI. My friend, Paige, she risked her life for you. Just to let you know." He answered, and then walked away, leaving behind high school for good.

_**"The workers are going home!"- Weezer**_

On the plane, Rossi and Hotch slept, while the younger ones stayed wide-awake, tending to Paige's every need. She was still in shock, but nothing uncommon. They played cards, and drank coffee, trying to act like everything was normal. They had gotten the blood cleaned off her, and let her change out of the bloody dress.

"You were brave, Paige." Garcia let her know, when Prentiss fell asleep, and Morgan and Reid went to get more coffee. Paige glanced down at her own cup, black, dark ugly coffee that tasted good.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"I always told people, I'm not willing to let this job change who I am. I feel that if we try to act brave and put ourselves through situations, we…loose a special part of ourselves." Garcia told her, leaning in to fill the effect.

"I understand." Penelope smiled, and nodded, watching as her boyfriend, and his friend slid into the seats across from the girls.

"Where's Prentiss?" Morgan asked, pouring more coffee into Paige's cup, then into his.

"Just nodded off to sleep." Garcia said, pulling out a deck of cards from her bag. "Euchre, anyone?" She smiled, and began taking out the cards.

"I'm in." Paige said, sipping her coffee delicately.

"Count us in." Morgan answered for him and Reid, and leaned on his elbows onto the table. "What's wrong, Paige? Don't like my coffee?"

"Derek, you should have made coffee for a living." Paige answered, closing her eyes, and leaning her head back onto the comfortable chair.

"Quite the living." Derek mused, watching as Penelope skillfully passed out cards.

"Okay, Derek's my teammate, Paige is yours, Spencer." Penelope explained when she finished passing out the cards. She flipped over the card on top a smaller deck, which was king of clubs.

"Pick it up." Spencer said, scanning his cards carefully.

"You're so lucky you have Reid on your team, Paige." Morgan admitted, gawking as his cards.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Paige whispered-yelled so she wouldn't wake anyone up. "What's trump?"

"Clubs!" Penelope said cheerfully, probably meaning that she had some tricks up her sleeve. Paige giggled, and began scanning her cards, noticing she had both jacks, making her powerful. She smiled, and waggled her eyebrows.

"Let the games begin." She whispered anxiously, checking her cards as each player threw in one. She glanced up at Reid, who was awaiting her play. She tossed down a low card, something she could get rid of. Spencer won the trick. Garcia bit her bottom lip, and watched her partner carefully. Derek shrugged, and threw another card down.

Paige's card toppled all of theirs, and she collected her trick. Garcia glared at her evilly, noting that she and Derek were going to lose. Eventually, yes, they did lose, and Paige and Spencer won. Garcia puckered her lips, and began to protest. Paige giggled as she shuffled the cards, huffing about their loss.

"C'mon, Pen, maybe next time." Derek said, smiling in her direction. She flushed, and looked down at the deck of cards in her hand.

"Right. Stupid Paige…" She muttered, glancing up at Paige, and smiling at her. Paige stared at her, trying not to smile back. She nudged her with a pointy elbow, and bit down on her bottom lip.

"Spence helped…" Paige explained. "But, of course, lady with IQ of 140 here did it all. Come on, Penelope. He has an IQ of like…180 something." Paige stuck her tongue out at Spencer, who laughed at her.

"Right, you had some good tricks." Spencer replied, rolling his eyes.

"I had great tricks." Paige mused, pulling her feet up onto the seat, and hugging her knees to her chest.

"Anyone up for a game?" Garcia asked, gesturing to the cards, safely put away in the box.

"No thanks, Garcia. We're gonna land soon, anyway." Reid answered, massaging his neck and shoulders, they were suddenly tense. Most likely because of the small _chat _Derek and him had when they went to get more coffee.

Derek and Spencer went behind the blue curtain, and brewed more coffee in the pot. As Spencer sat and watched the coffee drip slowly into the pot, Derek watched Spencer…carefully, and closely.

_"Something wrong?" Derek asked, implying that he was there to talk. Spencer glanced up, and hesitated. He plopped his head into his hands, and propped his elbows up on the counter. _

_"Why do you ask?" He replied, closing his eyes and realizing that his words implied that something was in fact wrong. Derek smiled smugly, and leaned on the counter. _

_"It's absolutely cute, Spencer." Derek mused, crossing his arms over his chest, and sighing._

_"Excuse me?" Spencer sputtered, watching his friend, and waited for his reply._

_"I think you know what I mean." Derek answered, smiling wryly at a confused Spencer._

_"No…ah, not really." Spencer admitted, shrugging his slim shoulders. Derek looked pointedly at Reid, and looked up to the ceiling of the plane._

_"Lord, help Reid understand that it's absolutely cute when he stares at Paige, and thinks about her non stop." Derek whispered, throwing his hands up in the air._

_"Whoa, whoa, wait." Spencer stopped him, tugging on his arm, bringing it down. "So what?"_

_"So? So, go out and get her. Beatles said it even better, brother." Derek nagged, lightly punching Spencer's arm for effect. Spencer considered it, and shrugged. _

_"I can't just ask her out again after Hannah…" Spencer mumbled._

_"We'll double date. Tomorrow, at a bar…um, just meet us at my place, and we'll all drive together." Derek advised, presenting an excellent opportunity to Spencer. _

_"F-fine." He stammered, agreeing to Derek's plan. "I'll ask her out before we all leave." He decided, and then noticed that the coffee was done, and took the pot by its handle._

_"Good. Let's go, before they get suspicious." Derek chuckled, and pulled his friend into the blue curtain, and out to the seating area... _

Spencer smiled warmly at Paige, who smiled back just as warm. He took this as a good sign, and tilted his head and slept the rest of the way home.

"**All of the cops, and all of the time it took, soon its all lines read in a leather book."- Vampire Weekend**

The team walked back into the BAU headquarters, tried and restless. Paige massaged her neck with her left hand as she gathered everything else she needed for the weekend with her right. She noticed someone slide up to her desk, so she glanced up, giving the person her attention.

"Hey, Reid." She greeted, standing up, her hand still massaging her tense neck.

"Hi…I was wondering…"

"Yeah?" Paige asked, letting her hopes get a little too high, hoping he would ask her out again. She bit her bottom lip anxiously and waited.

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me."

"I'd love too!" She answered cheerfully, startling him for a moment.

"Great!" He smiled. "Pen and Derek want to know if we want to go on a double date with them."

"Yeah, most definitely! Sounds…awesome. Not tonight, right? I _have _to spend some time with Jonas."

"Understood. Tomorrow night? We'll meet at Derek's place at six."

"Sounds good." She smirked. "Sounds like you and Derek had this pretty planned out."

"Uh…dunno what you're talking about…" He said nervously, running a hand through his hair. She laughed, which made him feel a little better, but he was still anxious.

"See you tomorrow, Reid." She said, her voice cheerful and sweet. She waved, and grabbed her coat, and headed for the door. She climbed into the cab of her red Mustang, and put the key in the ignition. She warmed up the car, and just sat in the parking lot for a few minutes.

She had another date with Spencer. It made her like, incredibly happy, but…eh, what did she have to worry about? The only thing was Jonas. Poor kid probably felt like she abandoned him. That was the last thing Paige wanted Jonas to think.

She pulled out of the parking lot, and sped over to the apartment complex to get Jonas. She wanted to have a dinner of his choice, and just hang out with him, do whatever he wanted to do. Her treat. Anything to make him feel special.

When she arrived, she parked her car, and quickly slid out. Her phone buzzed in her jeans pocket, disturbing her thought process. She snatched it out of her pocket, and checked it out. New text message from Pen…

What could she need at ten at night?

Hey cutie, it's Penelope! I need you to come to my apartment before we all get to Derek's. It's very crucial you do! See you later, my furry friend. – Penelope.

Paige raised an eyebrow, and decided to leave it alone for now. Right now, she needed a Kit Kat bar, and Jonas. Those were her top priorities. But, Garcia's message kept nagging at her, replaying in her head. She rolled her eyes, and jogged across the parking lot to the front doors. She got it them with ease, and started up the stairs. Something about elevators freaked her out. She didn't like the feeling.

She ran up to the fifth floor, where Mrs. Bronx and her husband and son lived. She knocked on the door, _pounded. _She desperately wanted to see her brother. Patty Bronx opened the door, and hugged her slightly.

"Hey, Paige. Glad to see you back!" Patty greeted her, stepping aside to let her into the room.

"Hello, Patty. Where's Jonas?"

"In Liam's room. He's getting his stuff together."

"How'd he know I'd be back?" Paige asked, puzzled.

"I have no idea dear. I thought you called him." Patty answered, dumbfounded. Paige shrugged, and left it alone. She waited with Patty for Jonas to come out of the room. She impatiently tapped her foot, and sighed. Jonas was taking to long! He finally came out of the room, Liam trailing behind him.

"Paige!" He yelled, breaking out in a short run to his sister. They hugged for a good three minutes, and then let go. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Jonas!" Paige gushed to her younger brother, squeezing his shoulders lightly. "C'mon, buddy, let's go home. We're just gonna chill, alright?"

"Yeah!" Jonas answered cheerfully, picking his duffel bag up off the ground. "Thanks for letting me come over and stay, Mrs. Bronx. Paige, I'm just gonna go say bye to Liam." Jonas ran to the separate room, and shut the door behind himself.

"How do you do this, Patty?" Paige asked, staring at the path her brother took.

"I used to do this for another person who was in the FBI." Patty said, crossing her arms, and facing Paige.

"Why'd you stop?"

"The little girl's father worked in the FBI, and he was on a case one weekend. And, he and his team had to gun down a criminal. Well, the criminal had a brother, who sought out his own revenge. So, he gunned down the agent. His little girl used to come over here after he and his wife split. The wife was killed, along with the little girl in their own house before the agent. He was forced to watch." Patty explained, her voice hoarse and hushed. Paige's slight smile dropped, and she began to think about that situation. She never thought that could happen to her. Magical thinking.

"Patty, I'm sorry." She said quietly.

"Well, it's fine, dear. I'm glad to have Jonas around. Take's place of Flan. The little girl."

"Flannery, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah. Beautiful name, to suite a beautiful girl." Patty stared at inanimate objects in remembrance.

"H-how old was she?" Paige asked, biting her lip anxiously.

"Ten." Paige glanced down to the floor, and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Patty."

"Just, take Jonas home, and treat him to a night to just you and him." Patty said urgently, a small smile playing at her lips.

"Yes ma'am." Paige replied, right on time to see Jonas walking out of Liam's room. "Let's go, kiddo."

They walked up the stairs to their apartment, and settled in. Jonas threw his bag into his room, while Paige hung up her winter coat in the front closet. She rubbed her eyes, and looked around the room. It was dimly lit by one little lamp. The dark blue couch stood out against the light. The small mahogany coffee table was filled with papers, and books. The small T.V. was filled with dust, along with the old bookshelf.

The opening to the kitchen was dark, the dim light not reaching it. She walked over to it, and felt around for the light switch to the kitchen. When it flicked on, she saw her white stove and fridge, and all the drawers that held silver ware, dishes, and most importantly, Kit Kats. She bit her lip, and blindly walked over to the drawer holding the delicious fattening bars, and pulled one out. She tore open the wrapper, and bit into a perfect rectangle of chocolate wafer.

"Fatty." Paige heard Jonas' loud voice ring out behind her.

"Not really." She countered, turning around to show her full weight. "Still skinny." She took another bite.

"I know." Jonas whispered, smiling. "Can I have one?"

"One dollar." Paige said, smirking.

"Paige!" Jonas cried, lightly punching her arm.

"Yes, you may little kid." She announced, walking past him into the living room. She plopped down onto the huge blue couch, and sighed.

"Ah, this is good." She whispered to herself. She searched around the couch, and in between the couch cushions. She finally emerged the remote to the TV and clicked the power button. Jonas plopped down next to her, and smacked his lips loudly. Paige rolled her head to face him, and glared at him.

"Do you MIND?" She asked loudly, he snickered, and stopped immediately.

"Nah. So, what's on television?"

"The news." Paige grumbled, flipping to the new channel.

"_A murder in Virginia has erupted into a huge crime scene. A NCIS team is on the case, and we got to talk to their Media Liaison, Elizabeth North-" _The TV reporter said, but was quickly cut off by Jonas.

"Lizzie! She's an agent for NCIS?" Jonas yelled, looking at Paige in amazement.

"Yeah, now shut up."

"_Ms. North, can you tell us anything about the case your team is working on?"_

_"Yes. Well, we have identified the body as Joseph Carson, aged forty-seven. We have also found illicit drugs, and we have our coroner working on the autopsy. We're hoping to determine if he was the one abusing the drugs, or the shell casings from the gun that was used."_

_"We're any finger prints found at the scene?"_

_"As far as I'm concerned, no. The murderer was probably careful with this one."_

_"Do you think this is just another drug deal gone wrong?"_

_"I really don't know." _Elizabeth answered, shrugging her shoulders. Someone came up behind her, and tapped her shoulder.

_"We got to go." _The man said, looking at the camera uneasily.

_"And you are?"_

_"Very special Agent Anthony DiNozzo." _He answered sarcastically, and then pulled Elizabeth away from the reporter with him.

"So that's Tony." Paige whispered to herself, smirking. "He is quite hot."

"What?" Jonas said in mock disgust. "What about you and Spence?"

"We're going on a double date with Pen and Derek tomorrow night, if that makes you feel better, little kid." She replied, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Yes, yes it does." He answered, happily returning his attention to the television. Paige scrutinized him for a moment, and then shrugged to herself. She couldn't bring herself to profile her little brother. It seemed way to wrong. Jonas turned his body to face Paige, and stared at her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, squinting his eyes at her.

"Well, Doctor Phil, my head hurts slightly, and my eyes are irritating me. But, besides that, that soap last week made me start thinking-" Paige rambled on, annoying Jonas.

"Paige." He whined, asking in his own way for her to stop and be serious.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Yourself?"

"How was the case?" He scooted toward her more. She clenched her jaw, and sniffled.

"Fine."

"Did you catch the guy? Were there any victims?" He asked excitedly.

"Yes, we caught the bad guy. Yes, there were victims." She answered carefully.

"H-how many?" He whispered, lowering his eyes. The act was almost in shame, as if he was ashamed of asking, or wanting to know about deaths.

Paige stared at the image on the television, but couldn't comprehend it. Her mind was thinking fast. "Three." She said, looking over at Jonas. Her eyes searched his face, waiting for him to speak.

"I see. Did…did the bad guy get shot?"

"Yeah, Jonas." Jonas played with this piece of information for a moment.

"D-did you shoot him?" He stuttered, again, looking down in shame.

"No."

Jonas waited for an explanation.

"No, Jonas. He was aiming for Reid, and me. Suddenly, he turned, took my gun, and kept one at Reid, while he took me up in a choke hold."

"Oh…" Jonas whispered quietly. But, she wasn't finished.

"He whispered in my ear something, and took his gun, and shot himself. His blood spattered everywhere, most of it on me." She described it, then stopped, and gulped. "It was…terrifying. But, it saved an innocent girl, and more importantly, it saved Reid." Paige shrugged, and turned her attention to the television.

"I'm sorry." Jonas whispered, while fingering something in his pocket delicately.

"I'm not." Paige whispered back, while standing up, and stretching. "Jonas." She said, whirling around to face her brother.

"What?" He asked, wondering what she had to tell him.

"Nothing. Never mind. Go to bed, tomorrow's Monday."

"I know, I know." Jonas muttered, waving his hand dismissively.

"Jonas?" Paige asked, making Jonas stop in his tracks, and turn back to face her.

"Yeah?"

"Don't you mind that I'm gone all the time? That there's never anyone here? That you have to spend all your time with another family? Aren't you the least bit angry that I can't be with you all the time?" Paige felt tears wash and cloud into her vision.

"Remember when you dropped me off at Hotch's condo?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I remember it."

"Jack's five. Jack talks about his Dad like he talks about Captain America. I asked him if he was sad that his Dad wasn't around a lot. You know what he said?"

"What?" Her voice was weak, and tears were soaring down her cheeks.

"He said that he didn't care. He loved his Dad, and yes, he was sad, but he loves him. He told me that his Dad, and you…he told me that you guys were always here for us. And, I know that it's true, Paigey." Jonas said, his voice strong, his posture strong. Everything about Jonas was strong.

"I love you, kid." Paige whispered, walking up to him and hugging him. "I am _always _here for you. And, Hotch is always there for Jack."

"I love you too, Paige." Jonas whispered back, watching Paige carefully as she let go of him.

"Alright. Good night. No reading." Paige said motherly. She smirked, and sniffled. "What are you reading now?"

"_The Giver._"

"One of my favorites." Paige noted, rolling her eyes. "Goodnight." She turned, and headed for her small room. She closed the door behind her.

"Night." Jonas whispered back, walking into his own smaller room. He climbed in bed, and shut off the desk lamp he had.

"**You can't be too careful."**

Paige walked into work, Starbucks coffee in one hand, and file in the other. She already had a case, sadly. She sighed, and arrived at her desk. She set down her things, and rubbed her neck. She sat down at her desk chair, and opened the file. This seemed…interesting. The case was familiar to her, which also scared her.

"Hey, Singer, what you got there?" Derek asked, coming up to her desk. Paige didn't glance up from the file, she kept reading.

"Case." She whispered.

"Something wrong?"

"It sounds almost _too _familiar." She shrugged, and closed the folder.

"Hm, well. Anyway, my place at seven?" Morgan hinted, smiling slyly.

"I have to stop at Pen's, and we'll be over around then." Paige answered, finally looking up to him. She smiled back, and stood up.

"Sounds good." Morgan said, distracted. His eyes followed Hotch, who looked as if he was in a rush. He walked past them hurriedly.

"Um." Paige said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Yeah…" Morgan said, his eyes still following Hotch. "I'll be back…"

"Yeah…" Paige answered, watching Morgan go after Hotch into his office. She sat back down, only to be greeted by another visitor. Reid stood in front of her desk, a pleasurable smile on his face. He reminded Paige of-

"Hello there, Teletubby." Paige greeted, chuckling slightly.

"What?"

"Nothing." She said, shaking her head at Spencer. He shrugged, and pleated his lips.

"Something wrong?" She asked, raising one eyebrow at him suspiciously.

"Nervous." He admitted, biting onto his bottom lip.

"About?"

"Tonight."

"Don't be." She whispered, placing her small elbows on the desktop.

"Hm, can I trust you?" He said playfully, squinting his eyes at her.

"That's a tough one." She joked, nodding her head in agreement.

"Well, I hear you'll be with Garcia. So, I'll meet you at Derek's then?"

"Precisely." She murmured, sighing.

"Got a case, don't we?" Spencer frowned, crossing his arms.

"Yeah. It shouldn't be a bad one."

"Hope not. We got ourselves a date. Maybe it'll be serendipitous." Reid smirked, and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"Let's hope." Paige whispered, standing up, and leading Spencer into the conference room, where everyone else was waiting.

"Everyone's here." Paige muttered, walking up to the front, where the screen was placed. Everyone at the table sat quietly, waiting for her to start. "Alright." She said, picking up the remote for the screen. She clicked a button, and a few pictures came up. "This is Maddie Camp, she was found dead three days ago. Her body was found near a river at a local park in Vera Beach, Florida. She was sixteen." Paige paused, and then clicked the button again, showing closer pictures of her legs. Some words had been scratched into them.

"What does that say?" Rossi asked, leaning forward in his seat, squinting at the screen.

"It says 'help me'. Her body was found in different clothing, rather than what she was wearing when she was reported missing. She was wearing no shoes, a thin band around her head, old blue jeans, and a paisley patterned long sleeve shirt." Paige gritted her teeth, and watched her team for a moment.

"Paisley?" Reid asked, leaning back in his chair.

"The whole outfit belongs in the Sixties or Seventies." Garcia whispered, drumming her fingers on the table.

"Exactly." Paige noted, nodding in Garcia's direction.

"Get your stuff ready, jet in an half an hour." Hotch announced, as he walked out of the room and up the stairs to his office. Everyone watched silently, their eyes following his trail.

"This case is weird. Is there anything else?" Morgan asked Paige, standing up and moving closer to the screen. He searched the pictures for a clue. "This is a public place, that means he had to of dumped the body at night. Are there any other reports of missing girls or found bodies of girls?" Morgan pressed, as he glanced at Garcia.

"I'll get right on it." She answered, walking past everyone, and out the door to go to her office. Paige watched her walk out, as did everyone else.

"I had a friend," Paige whispered to no one in particular. "His Dad was an alcoholic, and his Mom was dead. One day, his Dad skipped town, and left his son for good. He tried to live on his own, but he was losing his mind. Finally, one day, he started drinking, and without thinking, he got his hair cut to look just like his dad's. He started wearing his Dad's clothes. He was recreating his Dad. Then, he finally was his Dad."

No one said anything. No one blinked. They all just stared at Paige sorrowfully. Reid watched her; she didn't look up to meet anyone's eyes. She just stared at the ground.

"He was my absolute best friend. Then, he was caught drinking, under aged, and thrown in jail. I never saw him after that." She continued, and then looked up, her face a mask of wonder. She squinted in thought, and cocked her head to the side. "He skipped out on the 23rd week of school, same as his Dad. But, his Dad skipped out on a Wednesday, he skipped out on a Thursday. Why?"

"Did he say anything to you on the last day you saw him?" Reid asked, puzzled. Paige smiled in remembrance. She nodded her head, and sighed.

"He said,"

"_Good luck, Paigey." He grinned. He had a beautiful set of white, straight teeth. Paige and he stood facing each other after school that day. It was getting cold outside, and her curls were falling out of the miserable bun she had thrown them in. _

_"With what, Owen?" Paige had said cheerfully, smiling at him. He couldn't help but to smile back at her. She was so breathtaking and adorable. _

_"You know, just…life, Paige." He hesitated, and looked over her head at the other students that were piling out of the school. "You know what you're going to do with your life? Something good." Owen pressed, placing a light hand on her slim shoulder._

_"Law Enforcement. Hopefully Psychologist. Why, Owen?" She answered suspiciously. Owen had hesitated, and took a while to answer her._

_"I'm leaving, Paige." _

_"What? Why?" She blubbered, tears formulating in her eyes._

_"I can't be here. I…I can't be here with you. You have places to go. Paigey, you're going to end up in the FBI, or some crazy thing like that! Heck," He smiled, lifting her spirits a bit. "You'll probably be locking me away."_

_"Never!" Paige declared, her voice high and shaky. _

_"Paige, I love you, and that's why I'm leaving. I'm not…I'm not good anymore. Something went wrong."_

_"Then get help!" She whined._

_"Sorry, Paigey." He whispered, and then leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "I do love you. Never forget that. Take care of the weirdo brother of yours."_

_"I'm not going to see you again, will I?"_

_"Maybe. When you're the cop, and I'm in cuffs." He replied, shrugging his shoulders._

_"It'll never happen."_

_"Just, promise me you'll take care of yourself?" He asked, suddenly taking her up in a hug. He didn't give her time to answer. He let her go, and then walked off, keeping his word, and leaving for good._

"After that, I fell into a relapse." Paige stated bluntly. Everyone was staring at her, but they were all closer to her. "I'm not sure why all of that was important, but it felt like it was."

"Everything's important, kid. Now, let's go, before Hotch has a heart attack." Rossi said, leading everyone out of the room, and to their desks.

**Haha, that last part wasn't really supposed to be there, but the case was made up in a minute, so I threw it in there. Did you LOVE it? Better have. Just kidding. Thanks for reading. Dedicated to CrazyR, Getsemone, and Shanini86.**

**-Rage908**


	7. Youth Intoxication

**Hey, hey, hey, Rage908's new chapter is on its way! Anyone who tells me that wasn't lame is gonna be my absolute best friend! Also, please note that any locations mentioned in this story are most likely not real places. Just places made up in my head. There is no Vera Beach Florida, there is, however, a Vero Beach Florida that my Aunt and Uncle live at. **

**-RAGE908**

"_**Any thought that is passed on to the subconscious often enough and convincingly enough is finally accepted." – Robert Collier**_

"Maybe it's just your subconscious telling you that you need to step off the case." Hotch suggested to Paige while they sat in an uncomfortable silence that screamed in Paige's eardrums. The jet was flying smoothly on its way to Vera Beach, Florida. It was a case that was messing with Paige's mind, bringing her back to days she kept away.

"I don't want or need to back off the case, sir. If anything, I want to stay on and help catch this person." Paige negotiated, leaning forward in her seat, towards Hotch. She sighed, and put her hands over her head. "I don't want to chicken out on my third case. It's too soon." She whispered.

"Paige, no one will think any less of you if you need to take a leave." Hotch contradicted. He placed his fingers to touch each other, and then crumbled them together, intertwining them. "But," He paused, watching as Paige lifted her head up, and met his eyes with hers. "But, I also understand if you need to stay."

"Sir?" Paige whispered, finally leaning back up, and sitting up straight.

"Yes, Singer?"

"A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon." She paused, her face guarded and expressionless. "Napoleon Bonaparte."

Hotch nodded, and proceeded to get up, and scurry off to sit by Rossi, and talk with him about the case. Paige huffed and sighed, and glanced out the window. While she stared, and thought hard about the case, and the significance of a faded memory of a long gone friend who couldn't be there for her, the other team members stared at her.

Morgan, Prentiss, and Reid sat together, quietly speaking. Prentiss worried about Paige all the time, even if she didn't know her that well. Reid and Morgan were bummed about tonight, and were talking about how they would make it up to Paige and Penelope.

"So, I'm thinking that we meet at my place, go to a scary movie, get them all scared and what not. Then, we take them to a bar, let them cool off, then we go to this park by my place. It's got these cool hanging lanterns that Pen would love." Derek suggested, smiling wittingly.

"What movie, and what bar would we go to?" Spencer whispered back, noticing that Paige was within hearing distance.

"A good scary one. Anything out right now?"

"You're asking _me_?" Reid mocked, acting surprised for Morgan's sake.

"Hilarious." He said distastefully.

"I try." Morgan laughed. "No…" Said Doctor Spencer Reid. "I really do…"

"I know, kid." Derek mused, laughing a little more. "I know."

Hotch and Rossi argued over Singer's issues with the case.

"We need her head in the case." Hotch explained, setting his chin on his fist.

"We also need her subconscious cleared. She needs to know that she's understood here." Rossi agreed, yet still racked his mind for answers. "What about her story? If she thinks it's connected to the case, then…"

"Dave, you're not actually suggesting that we take her story into examination, are you?" Hotch asked, lifting an eyebrow at his partner.

"I think I am. Remember when Reid accused his dad of murdering Riley Jenkins? Remember how he had that dream? We let him have a chance, let's give her one."

"I remember. But, if those memories are in fact tied to this case, then she could be in potential danger if the media is told." Hotch pointed out.

"True. So, no media. Oh well. If we have her, I think this will be a step closer. She said the boy from her memory was her best friend until he skipped high school, then the next day was found drunk, and taken to prison. His name was Owen. She didn't mention a last name."

"When we land, call Garcia and ask her to search for an Owen who went to a public Chicago area high school, who would have a criminal record around the time he was fifteen." Hotch commanded, and then got up, and got the attention of all his agents. "We'll be landing in fifteen minutes. Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss and I will go to the scene. Reid, Singer, you two are going to the station and setting up. Did Garcia get back to any of you about the missing girls?"

"Garcia said that there were two missing persons files, and both were from the same city." Morgan answered. "Holly Greg and Renee Capelin."

"Reid, Singer, talk to Garcia when you get to the station. Get from her the places where the victims were last seen, and map it out."

"Yes, sir." Reid replied, slumping in his seat.

"Okay." Hotch whispered, as he sat down and faced Rossi. "This might be difficult."

"It's what we do." Rossi offered, and then smiled.

"Right." Hotch smiled back. "Save the world and rid it of all evils?"

Rossi chuckled. "Baby steps."

"Yeah, well, we need to get jogging, or running." Hotch muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Then, let's do it." Rossi said simply, shrugging, and buckling his seat belt as the jet began to land in Vera Beach, Florida.

"_**If our subconscious was attractive, we wouldn't have to bury it down deep within us."- Doug Coupland.**_

_Vera Beach Police Department (VBPD)_

_Monday 10:00 A.M._

"You guys have a place where we could set up?" Spencer asked Deputy Michael Rowley, adjusting the strap of his messenger bag. The Deputy smiled, and asked them to follow him to the conference room. The two agents followed willingly, trailing behind the Deputy like a lost puppy.

"Here you guys go. Do you need anything?" The Deputy asked cheerfully, but mainly directing his question at Paige. She smiled, playing on to his flirtatious tone.

"Could we get a full sized map of the city area, and Florida?" She asked sweetly, lifting a hand to her hair, and tousling it a bit for effect. Reid stifled a laugh. The poor Deputy was clueless as to Paige's love life. Which, Reid thought arrogantly, was pretty much his, and he loved that. Reid smiled to himself, and watched the Deputy's face turn beat red, as he nodded in a daze.

"Sure thing. I'll be right back!" He said excitedly. He ran out of the room, receiving odd looks from his colleagues. Paige and Spencer giggled simultaneously, sitting down at a rather large, fake wood, dark brown, rectangular table. They sat across from each other, Paige holding the case file, and pictures of the victims, while Spencer held a coffee cup in his hand. Both agents like their coffee the same. Top coating of creamer, and one packet of sugar.

"Can I have a sip? I need some caffeine." Paige asked, smiling innocently at Spencer, and gesturing to his coffee cup. He sloshed around the liquids inside of the cardboard cup, and hesitated.

"Hm, I don't know." He smiled playfully, and then handed her the cup. She took a sip, and leaned back in her chair, satisfied. Suddenly, the door flew open, and the red-faced Deputy came flying back in.

"Here are the maps. Anything else, ma'am?" He sputtered out, between gasps for oxygen.

"No, but thank you." Paige replied, taking the maps from him, and opening the door to let him out. He smiled, and nodded, and walked out of the room willingly. "Just too damn easy." Paige murmured, smiling wryly. Spencer chuckled, and stood to help her pin up the maps onto the huge corkboards that hung on the miserable white walls.

"Okay…so, we know that Maddie Camp was found at Watt Front River in Watt Front Park yesterday." Paige whispered to herself, stabbing a red thumbtack onto the map.

"And, we need to call Garcia because we don't know anything else…" Spencer concluded for now, flipping out his phone in an orderly fashion. He quickly dialed Penelope's number, and waited patiently.

"You've reached the Quantico radio, starring the ever so lovely, Penelope Garcia! Penelope has the amazing career of working as the BAU's tech analyzer. The BAU is a department of the FBI. Any questions and or concerns? Contact SSA Aaron Hotchner." Penelope greeted, using a low, fake, radio-talk-show-host voice.

"Hello, Garcia. You got me, and Paige." Spencer replied, chuckling along.

"Requests?" She said, again using the fake, deep voice.

"Can you tell me the details about the two missing girls on file that may relate to this case?" Paige asked, leaning in to talk into the phone's receiver. Reid took the phone away from his ear, and put it on speaker.

"Okay, go." Reid said, setting the phone down to the table, and turning back to the maps, grabbing a handful of thumbtacks.

"Great band, honey." Garcia noted, while the sound of her typing on her computers keyboard filtered through the speaker of the phone. "Okay, Holly Greg was reported missing two days ago, at Watt Front River, but behind a restaurant rather than in the park. She was in the same condition as our other victims. Now, Renee Capelin is a different story. She was reported missing at five-thirty this morning. Her body hasn't been found."

"This most likely means… she's still alive." Paige suggested, turning to look at the map with Reid.

"Where was she last seen, Garcia?" Spencer asked, looking over his shoulder at the phone, as if it was an actual person.

"Renee Capelin was last seen at…the dump site for Holly. She works at the restaurant where Holly got dumped." Garcia said, her voice making her sound thoroughly surprised. She paused, leaving Spencer and Paige only hearing the clicking of several keys. "She pretty much went missing after Holly's body was dumped."

"Okay, thanks Garcia." Reid said, and then hung up the phone, not waiting for a witty reply.

"Victimology." Paige said, after pinpointing the last sight of Renee onto the map. It was obvious that the killer was drawn to Water Front River.

Reid pinned up three pictures of the different victims onto a white board on the opposite side of the room. He began writing similarities and differences for the victims. "All three have short, cropped, light brown hair. All have green eyes. Same body type. Around the same age." He mumbled, as his hand fumbled across the board, writing quickly.

"These woman look…familiar." Paige mumbled back, tilting her head to the side.

_"Come on in, sorry about my husband. He's been acting so strange lately. So, tell me, how are you Paige?" "Paige?" "Paige?"_

"Paige?" Spencer said, touching her shoulder. She shook her head, and looked up at him. "Are you okay?" Paige nodded. "Anything you wanna talk about?" She shook her head. "Alright." Spencer shrugged, and turned back to the board.

Who was that woman? She looked exactly like the victims. Paige remembered the woman from somewhere. She was a smoker. She only smoked two a day. Once at breakfast, once at dinner. She always wore a bandana on her head. Her laugh was high and obnoxious. She was a memory just floating, as if there was no significance. There was nothing attached to her, nothing that seemed important. Paige kept scanning her memories, but it was difficult.

Maybe she was hallucinating. Perfectly normal, with this job, she thought sarcastically. Paige watched Spencer write more about the victims absentmindedly. Something was trying to tell her something, she knew it, but she couldn't bring herself to find those memories. Not right here, or right now. Those were suppressed for a reason. Paige coughed suddenly, a tickle in her throat bothering her. Reid glanced back at her, checking to see if she was okay.

"I'm fine. I'm gonna go get some water." She replied to the glances, and shuffled out of the room and to the nearest water fountain. The Deputy watched her from his desk intently, which freaked her out a bit. She sipped water, and felt the cold run down her throat. She shivered briefly, and then stood up straight. She glanced at the Deputy, and then walked back into the conference room with Spencer.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked, walking up to her from the board, which had more writing crammed onto it than before.

"Yeah, I'm okay. But, man, that Deputy is creeping me out."

"Same." He agreed, leading her back over to the board. "Haven't made much progress. Hotch called just after you left, said to meet him and the others at the Camp Crime Scene."

"Right now?" Spencer nodded. "Well, let's go."

They walked out to the parking lot of the VBPD and got into a large black SUV. Spencer decided to drive, while Paige sat in shotgun. He started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. They drove quickly to Watt Front Park. It was a bit far, Paige noted.

"Do we know who or when Maddie Camp was found?" Paige asked suddenly, her thoughts being clouded over by another thought. Her mind had questions everywhere.

"She was found yesterday by a Park Ranger, I believe." Reid answered, but didn't take his eyes off the road to look at her.

"Huh. Okay." Paige whispered, sort of disappointed. Her thoughts weren't correct, but she had tried to make sense of something. She still had the problems of the random memories that kept hitting her intensely.

"And…here we are." Spencer whispered, as he parked sloppily by a sidewalk. Both agents jumped out of the vehicle quickly, and ran up to the yellow police tape. Paige pointed out Hotch and Rossi, and Prentiss and Morgan. Reid lifted the tape, letting Paige go under it, he followed. Paige walked up to Hotch, Spencer jogged to keep up with her.

"Reid, Singer. Tell us what you know." Hotch greeted, the normal way.

"We know that Holly Greg was also dumped along Watt Front River, right next to Cullman's restaurant. And, that restaurant was where Renee Capelin worked. She was abducted this morning around five-thirty. All of these women, including Maddie, are around the same age, have the same features, hair, eyes, body type. The two victims that were dead on arrival were both dressed in clothes that ultimately belonged in the sixties to eighties era." Reid explained, making wild gestures with his hands. Paige stifled giggles, and listened closely.

"Alright. Singer?" Hotch asked.

"I had another memory. It was of a woman who looked a lot like these woman. She was apologizing about her husband, and inviting me into something. I remember her, but I can't connect it. She smoked; she wore bandanas all the time. But, I can't remember her." Paige told them, pacing back and forth, trying to make sense of it.

"Keep trying. If you get anything else, call me or Rossi. Morgan, Singer, Reid, go to the Greg Crime Scene. Prentiss, you and I are going to talk to the park ranger. Singer, I want you to talk to the restaurant staff. Morgan, Reid, you check out the bodies and the site."

"Yes, sir." The three whispered in unison. They trudged back to the SUV, Morgan called driving. Spencer called shotgun, which left Paige with back. They climbed in, and took off.

_"Paige..my cancer is getting worse. I'm afraid...I'm dying. Thank you, Paige, thank you for making my sons life better. Thank you for making my last few months better." _The woman said quietly. Paige leaned back, and was stunned.

It was Owen's mom all along.

"_**This whole world's spinning out of control, oh which way shall we go, which way shall we go?"**_

"What have you found, Garcia?" Hotch asked back at the VBPD, where a laptop was set up to talk to Garcia.

"Owen that Paige was talking about was probably Owen Kyler. His Mom died in his freshmen year, and he was arrested in his sophomore year for under aged drinking. He was reported missing from school before that. He lived in the Chicago area. His dad's trail is extremely tricky, but I'm clearing it up to track him down. Owen has no trail what so ever. There's nothing. He's either using aliases, or just that good." She explained, not looking at the camera, but at her computer screen. She typed ever few minutes or so, and then would stop suddenly.

"Try to find his dad. Call back."

"Right away, sir." Garcia said, ending the video chat immediately. Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose, and turned to Dave Rossi.

"Paige may call with something. But right now, you and I need to find Owen's dad with Garcia, and help Paige." Rossi said, crossing his arms. Hotch nodded, and pulled out his ringing phone.

"Hotchner."

"It's Singer. The lady from my memories is Owen's mom. Full name was Owen Kyler, if Garcia didn't already get that to you."

"She did."

"Okay, well, she died, and she, Owen, and I were pretty close. But, she looks a lot like these women."

"Singer, if you have a theory, then please share. Nothing can be wrong."

"Hotch…I think that when Owen started to re-create his Dad, he was becoming his Dad. Same behavior, same everything. He even started talking different." She paused, nervous. "Hotch; I think the UnSub is either him or his father. Owen could have…cracked. He was absolutely different after his Mom died."

"Okay, Singer. Thank you. We're looking into him and his Dad."

"When or if you find them…can…can I…come?" Paige bit her lip nervously when Hotch didn't answer at first. Hotch hesitated, and sighed.

"Yes."

"Thank you, sir."

"No problem. All of you can come back to the station. I think we're ready to give the profile." Hotch muttered, hanging up the phone. He thrust it back into his jacket pocket, and took a deep breath. Rossi looked at his friend softly, and then proceeded to sit down with Prentiss at the large fake wood table.

"Are they coming back?" Prentiss asked Hotch, glancing up at him from the table.

"Yes. Rossi, we need a plan here. If Penelope finds the Dad, I'm taking Paige with me to talk to him. I doubt she'll find the boy." Hotch said, sitting down next to Rossi.

"Why's that?"

"She thinks Owen's killing these women because they look like his mom. He re-created his Dad in high school, which means he's angered at her for 'leaving' him." Hotch carried on, explaining the delicate situation.

"Are you sure it's…healthy…for Paige to go?" Prentiss asked suddenly, remembering a time when she was in this sort of situation. She had attacked the parent's of her best friend after he had died suddenly. She didn't want Paige to go through that.

"I think so. I'll be there for help." Hotch pointed out. Prentiss nodded, still unsure. She definitely trusted Paige, but the human mind is complex when it comes to touchy subjects. Instead of our head controlling what we do, we let our feelings lash out, Prentiss thought.

"Right." Prentiss whispered back, glaring down at the table.

"I need Morgan, and you, Prentiss, to give the profile. You two know this, correct?" Prentiss nodded, and stood, exactly the same moment the other three agents busted into the conference room. Then, Penelope suddenly came back up onto the screen.

"Hey Low?" She announced, seeing no one on her screen. Hotch turned the computer towards him, and cleared his throat.

"You have all of us."

"I found Owen's dad. He lives just a little ways away from here, actually. Souder town, Florida. Just a mile from Vera Beach. No hits on Owen. He doesn't exist in computer world." Garcia said, reading addresses and other useful things off her computer screens.

"Owen was great with technology. He'd be the person I'd go to if I wanted to disappear." Paige mumbled, receiving looks from her teammates.

"Alright. Well, Owen's dad was arrested thirty-two times. All Petty crimes." Garcia went on, still typing fervently.

"Singer, you're with me. We're going to talk to Owen's Dad. Morgan, Rossi, Prentiss, and Reid, I want you guys to keep working on the profile. Collect what you can from the killing styles, dump sites, the victims, anything." Hotch paused, and turned to Paige. "Ready?"

"It's about time I got some freaking answers." She whispered back, the corners of her mouth lifting up slightly.

Hotch smiled back briefly. "Then let's go."

"_**Hello Daddy, Hello Mom, I'm your ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb."- The Runaways**_

_O'Lion Residence_

_Still Monday, 4:00 P.M._

"This would be it."

"It reeks. I'm not even outside the car, and it reeks."

"Try stepping outside the car. It's worse."

"Thanks, Hotch. I'm really excited now."

"You wanted to come."

Paige sighed deeply, and forcefully took off her seatbelt, and opened her door. She jumped out of the car, and followed Hotch up to the door of Marvin O'Lions. Other wise known as Owen Kyler's father. Hotch knocked briskly, and waited for the door to be answered.

A man around his late fifties pulled the door open. He was grimy, crusty, and dirty. He had a gray beard, and little whiskers everywhere else. His head was bald, and his beer belly protruded from his sick, hairy chest. Paige wished he could put on a shirt, at least. He stood for a moment, quietly waiting for them to identify themselves.

"Can I help you?" He asked his voice scratchy and low.

"Yes. FBI I'm Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, and this is Special Agent Paige Singer."

"Singer?" The man asked suddenly, looking away from the ground, and to Hotch's eyes.

"Yes. May we come in? We have questions regarding your wife and son."

"I don't got a wife or a son. Not no more." The man countered, and crossed his arms.

"Anymore. You did. And we need to know about them." The man hesitated, and then moved aside for the agents to come in.

They all sat in the dark, gross living room. The couches had stains on them, some red, some purple, some brown. The cushions were assembled messily. The coffee table was missing a leg, and was being held up by a stack of books. Paige read the titles of each book, each one bringing her back further. _The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, The Giver, Many Lives, Many Masters, The Unofficial Biography of Elvis Presley. _The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe was a favorite of Owen's. Poe's works were loved and appreciated by Owen. The Giver was Paige's favorite; she had given that exact book to Owen as a gift in freshmen year. Owen loved reading, it was virtually the only thing he did. Many Lives, Many Masters. Paige read that one, and Owen read it, too. They sometimes read to each other, and then discussed their own views on the books topics. Elvis Presley. Owen's favorite musician. Paige bought that book for him for his birthday when they were thirteen.

_"Thank you, so, so, so much! I love it." Owen exclaimed, cradling the book in his hands. _

_ "I'm glad you like it." Paige mused, stifling laughs._

_ "I want to give you a book I read, actually. It's in my room. I want you to read it, so we can discuss it." Owen murmured, setting the Elvis Presley book down. He ran down the hall to his room, and was back out in a flash. In his hand, he had the book: The many Works of Edgar Allan Poe. "It has our favorites in it." He flashed a smile._

_ "Thank you, Owen!" She smiled, and grabbed him up in a hug. Owen laughed, and let go. Paige did the same. They sat and flipped through the pages, reading from different things. Pointing out facts about Elvis, and trying to decipher Poe's meanings. _

_ "'I was a child, and she was child, in this kingdom by the sea. But, we loved with a love that was more than love, I and my Annabel Lee.'" Owen quoted, making Paige giggle._

_ "'The angels, not so half happy in Heaven, Went envying her and me,'" Paige contested, smiling. _

_ "Funny."_

_ "I try." _

_ Both smiled, and began reading passages to each other from the two books._

"So, why are FBI agents sitting in my living room?" The man asked, sitting down and popping open a can of beer.

"We need to know the whereabouts of your son, Owen Kyler. We also need to know what he was like after his mother died." Hotch commanded, realizing that Paige wasn't able to speak to him just yet.

Paige felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, so she took it out, and had a text from Spencer. She opened it, and read it quickly. _Can you make sense of this? - Reid._ There was a picture attached to the message. Paige enlarged it on her phone, and saw that there was a message written out, with what looked like pen, on one of the victims arms.

_"I was a child" _Was written on one arm. Paige realized that there were more photos, and so she scrolled through them.

_"And she was a child" _On another arm.

_"In this kingdom by the sea, I and my Annabel Lee." _On a stomach.

That was no coincidence.

That was real.

Paige panicked, and quickly tapped Hotch's arm. Her eyes were widened with shock, and disappointment.

"What, Singer?"

"Owen and I used to read a poem by Edgar Allan Poe, Annabel Lee, familiar with it?" Paige said hurriedly.

"Yes, why?"

"Reid just sent me pictures of victim with the words "I was a child, and she was a child, in this kingdom by the sea, I and my Annabel Lee." That's not a coincidence."

"Probably not. He's trying to send us a message. He knows that you're on this case. He also wants help."

"Who?" The man broke in, confused.

"Owen Kyler." Hotch clarified.

"My son? What'd he do?"

"He's a suspect for murder." Paige blurted, hot tears stinging her eyes. "Hotch. We need to search up and down the river tonight. He wants us to help, well fine. But, we know he'll dump this body, and get another."

"Right. I'm going to call Rossi, and tell him to give the profile, and we'll get back over there." Hotch agreed, standing up quickly. "Thank you for your time, sir."

"Y-yeah. Sure." He replied, still confused. He hadn't talked to Owen since he was arrested for drinking under aged.

Hotch and Paige swiftly got to the station, in the middle of the rest of the team explaining who they were looking for.

"He's not going to fight back. He wants to get caught, because this isn't what he wants." Rossi announced; wanting to make sure no one does anything unnecessary.

"Then, why not just stop killing?" The red-face Deputy asked from the chair he sat in, surrounded by all of the other cops.

"Because, he can't. 'He' is technically two people. One part of him wants to stop, because this isn't him. Yet, the other wants him to kill because of past occurrences." Paige stepped in, walking up briskly next to Rossi. Rossi smiled at her, and let her take the stage.

"How would you know?" Another officer asked.

"I'm a profiler. It's my job to know." She answered bravely, watching the cop's face change suddenly. He rolled his eyes, and grumbled something incoherent.

"Anyway, we'll have police officers, and the BAU, stationed up and down the Watt Front River. We should be able to catch him. According to the crime scenes, he kills the women he takes at the sites, so she should still be alive." Rossi concluded, nodding at the officers. He turned to the rest of the team, and sighed.

"Um…" Paige began, but stopped, hoping no one caught it.

"What, Singer?" Hotch asked, wondering if something was wrong, or if she was remembering something useful.

"What if I was all wrong? What if this even isn't Owen? I mean, how the hell would he get to Florida?" Paige questioned, biting her lip to signify her nervousness. Hotch frowned, and sighed.

"Our subconscious never fails us, Paige. If this was a wrong turn, then none of it was your fault. We decided to entrust your memories. In fact, I don' t think you were wrong at all." Hotch assured her, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. Paige looked up at her boss, and tried to smile.

"Okay. So, what time are we looking at here for the dumping of the body?"

"Well, according to the autopsies that were done, the victims all died around…" Reid began, and then shuffled through some papers in a folder he was holding. He pulled out a paper, and handed it to Paige. " Maddie was found yesterday at three in the afternoon, she died hours before hand. Same with Holly. They died during night hours, obviously stabbed at the scenes." He finished, taking the paper back from her.

"So, we're looking at…really soon. It's getting dark." She pointed out to the window, watching the sun face behind a dark blue, and purple sky.

"We better get going." Rossi said, leaving the room, the rest of them following behind him. Rossi, Morgan, and Hotch climbed into one of the black SUV's, while Reid, Prentiss, and Paige climbed into another. Hotch and Prentiss drove behind police cruisers to the river. Paige sat in the backseat, watching out the window. Some part of her was really excited to see Owen, even if he was going to be convicted for murder. She sighed, and leaned back in her seat, watching as they got closer to the river. The water was wild, currents coming from all different directions. The moon was noticeable in the dark blue water.

Prentiss was behind Hotch, who pulled over to the side of the road. Prentiss followed his action, pulling over behind him. They all stepped out of the vehicles, and watched as more Police cruisers park many, many feet behind them, and some pass them to park many feet ahead of them. Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan walked up to Prentiss, Reid, and Singer. They looked at each other, and out to the other police teams, splitting up to keep up with the whole distance of the river.

"Alright. Prentiss, Rossi, you guys go down the river. Morgan and I will go up with the Sheriff. Singer, Reid, you guys got this general area." Hotch proposed, keeping his eyes on the faces of his team. He didn't have much worry about this case. The UnSub definitely didn't want any trouble, so he doubted anyone would get injured. The team split up into their smaller groups, and went off.

Reid and Singer walked up the closest they could to the edge of the river. They peered into it, watching the water movements for a few moments, silence filling the background. The sound of other policemen walking around hundreds of feet away from them didn't frighten them. The area they had to cover had what seemed like millions of trees, and a dimly lit path. There were no lamps, only the small light coming from the moon and flashlights far away from them to light the night. Reid pulled out a small flashlight, and aimed it around him. He nudged Paige's arm, gesturing for her to follow him onto the path, and through the trees. She nodded, and followed him into it. The trees and path were only three feet away from the edge of the river, and they started about five feet from where the parked.

As they strolled through, they listened for suspicious sounds. It was hard to see, even with the moon and the flashlight. Paige hoped she and Reid would be the ones to find him, but there were so many people, and so much river, it was a small possibility. Suddenly, the radio attached to Singer's belt beeped, scaring her a bit. She giggled at her sudden awareness, and pulled the radio from her belt. She pressed a button, letting off a beep. The radio had static, then was overtaken by a voice.

"Morgan to Singer." The radio blared, startling Reid rather than Paige. She laughed, and turned down the volume, then pressed the 'talk' button.

"Copy. What's up, Morgan?" She answered, whispering.

"Hey, anything yet? Hotch noticed that you guys have a very woodsy area."

"No, nothing yet. Our area is a little over abundant in tree population…" She whispered back into the speaker.

"Alright. Keep the radio on. They're gonna call out on the radios if he's found."

"Gotcha. See you in a while."

"See ya Singer. Morgan out."

"Singer out." She let go of the talk button, and clipped the radio back onto her belt. Reid flashed the light in different directions every few minutes or so. Paige couldn't help but feeling cold now. Her thin dark blue FBI coat wasn't keeping her very warm. She walked closer to Reid, hoping that he was a bit warmer than she. He was, most definitely, so she walked even closer. Reid smiled, and grabbed her hand.

She smiled up at him, which he saw out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly, though the radio spoke once again.

"This is Deputy Rowley, we've got our guy. We're located at the south end of the river." Paige and Reid looked at each other, and broke out in a run together, hands slipping away from each other as well. They ran until they reached the south end, which they were pretty close to. Paige noticed Morgan, Hotch, Prentiss, and Rossi running too. Eventually, the runners caught up with each other, and began to slow as they neared.

When the reached the end of the river, they saw Deputy Rowley with a man in cuffs. Police cruisers were around the scene, lights flashing. The team walked up to the scene, all of them suddenly stopping Paige from walking further.

"Is it him?" Hotch asked her.

"Owen Kyler. It's him." She whispered, looking at the man fondly. Tears welded in her eyes. "I have to talk to him."

Hotch stared at her, hesitating again. Finally, he nodded slowly, and watched as Paige stared at Owen before walking slowly up to him.

"'Scuse me, miss. Ain't nobody supposta talk to him." An officer said, obviously not noticing she was FBI. She flashed him her badge, making him step out of her way. She walked closer up to him. He was leaning on the police cruiser, all slick and cocky. He still had that sandy blonde hair, and these sea-foam green eyes. He was tall, and his clothes were dark. He bit the inside of his cheek, and watched as an ambulance drove up onto the grass, and the EMT's lifted Renee into the back of it.

"Owen Kyler?" Paige said bravely, deciding not to give up her identity just yet.

"That would be me. What're you? Media, psychiatrist?" He said coolly. He shook his head, laughing. "Ain't no one can help me, ma'am."

"You always said the word 'ain't' was a terrible one." She whispered to him, half smiling. He stood up straight, and looked at her dumbfounded.

"No…way…" He whispered, stepping closer to her. "Paige freaking Singer?" He smiled, and laughed.

"Hi." She breathed. "I wish it wasn't these circumstances, Owen."

"I…I know. He…he made me. He was obsessed with her! He wanted her dead because she left him!" Owen shouted, alarming her team. Reid walked over instinctively. Paige rolled her eyes, and gritted her teeth.

"Owen. You are him. It's called split personality."

Owen laughed. "You know what's funny, Miss Singer?" He cooed. "I know that. I couldn't stop."

"I'm getting you help, because you are my best friend. Even if you did abandon me." Paige said straightforward. Owen looked at his damp shoes in shame. Reid watched the two from a safe distance.

"Alright, Kyler, you're going to jail." The Sheriff said, placing a hand on his shoulders, and leading him backwards back to the car.

"You know what's also funny, miss Singer?" He called, as the Sheriff placed him into the car. The Sheriff waited for him to finish before shutting the door.

"What, Mr. Kyler?" She played along for one last time.

"I told you."

"Told me…"

"You made it to the FBI, didn't you?" He mused, as she watched the Sheriff shut the door, and pat the back of the cruiser, sending it off. Owen nodded his head at her from the window, as they took off to the station. Paige bit her lip, and sighed.

"I see the reason he was your best friend." Reid said from behind her. Paige let the tears finally roll down her cheek. She turned on her heel, and threw herself into Reid's arms. Reid hugged her, and stroked her curls tenderly. "Paige, we're in a really beautiful setting, and you're crying." He whispered in her ear. She didn't say anything at first, afraid she would choke on her own words.

"You're right. Let's go home and cry about it." She joked, wiping her tears. Reid put his arm over her shoulders, and led her back to the SUV's where everyone else was waiting.

"Promise me you'll always remember one thing: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." Christopher Robin to Pooh Bear- A. A. Milne

"So, ladies," Morgan chuckled as he walked up to the seats where Reid and Singer sat on the jet. "Are we on for some night?"

"How about we just say Saturday night?" Singer suggested. "And, that was really mean, Derek." Derek laughed, and sat across from Reid.

"So, you remember the agenda, Reid?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. That." Reid smiled, and glanced at Paige. She smiled, as if she had no idea what they were talking about, and leaned over to see what Prentiss was reading across the aisle from her.

"What are you reading?" Paige asked, giving up on guessing the title. It sure seemed familiar.

"_The Five People You Meet in Heaven _by Mitch Albom." She answered, book marking her page, and setting it on the table.

"You didn't have to stop reading." Paige mumbled, embarrassed.

"It's alright." Prentiss said, shrugging her shoulders. "I've read it eight times. You?"

"Yeah, I've read it a couple times, too." Paige replied, trying to remember the book more clearly. "Ah, yes. I remember flinching at the parts about the war…with the captain."

"It is a tear jerker." Emily agreed.

"You watch the movie?"

"No…no I haven't." Emily answered bluntly. "I totally should. Hey, you know, Paige, we should rent it sometime and maybe invite Pen and watch it together." Emily said, smiling nicely, and warmly. Paige loved the way Prentiss' eyes looked. When she was nice, they were warm, and colorful. But, Paige had learned not to piss her off.

"That sounds like a lot of fun!" Paige agreed, cheerfully agreeing to Emily's invitation.

"Great! We'll do it soon!"

"Awesome." Paige smiled, excitedly. She leaned back to sit straight in her seat. Her eyes watched Hotch approach her, hesitant. Was he always this hesitant and awkward with new agents? Paige thought.

"Singer. I wanted to congratulate you on your wonderful work. I know it's hard working with memories like that." He said, offering a small rare smile.

"Thank you, sir. It means a lot to me for you to say that." She answered solemnly. Hotch nodded, and went back to his seat, across from Rossi. Paige smiled to herself, and nestled herself into her seat. She gently closed her eyes, and let herself fall asleep.

Paige's Apartment

_Tuesday 5:30 P.M._

Paige Singer walked into her apartment in Washington, DC exactly at 5:30 P.M. Jonas was waiting patiently for his take out food at the couch. She smirked, and dropped the bag of McDonalds on his lap. She watched him take out a ten-piece chicken nugget meal, with large French fries, and a large Dr. Pepper. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, and went to the kitchen.

She opened the refrigerator, which had a carton of milk, and a two-liter of Mountain Dew, and a carton of eggs, half full. She smacked her lips, and closed the fridge, moving to the pantry. In there were crackers and tuna. She stared at it in disbelief. Against her will, she peeked out to the living room. Jonas was gone suddenly, so she snuck out of the kitchen, and sank into the couch. She grabbed a chicken nugget, and nibbled on it. So, they didn't taste so bad. It still grossed her out.

After a few moments, Jonas never emerged from his room, so Paige ate the rest of his nuggets and fries. She sat back and watched the news, as boring as it was to her. She felt that it was her job to keep up with the government and the people in it now that she worked for them. She nibbled on the last nugget, while watching something about a case that had been solved with the help of an FBI team.

She smiled cockily.

Then, she yawned. She knew she should probably go to bed, like Jonas. She had to work for the rest of the god-awful week. She loved her job, but it was tiring. She trudged to her room, not bothering to throw out the McDonalds bag. It sat on the coffee table alone for the rest of the night. She was too tired (or too lazy) to throw it away.

She hoped Saturday came extremely fast.

The Behavioral Analysis Unit

_Quantico, Virginia_

_Friday 6:00 P.M._

The team dropped their Go-Bags in front of their desks, sighing and groaning. Another case solved, another bloody memory stored. The case had gone by slow, taking three days to complete. They had left on Wednesday morning, worked through then, Thursday, and today. They finally got back to home.

Tomorrow was Saturday, which also meant that tomorrow was the date. Paige couldn't help but smiling at the fact. At her desk, she gulped, and blinked a few times. A picture of Jonas and her sat on her desk. She smiled at her little brother, so adorable and innocent. She was amazed at how quickly Liam and Jonas had become like brothers. The two were inseparable.

She grabbed what she needed from her desk, and put her wool coat back on. She was excited to go home, and rest a bit. She walked around her desk, slowly. Morgan, Prentiss, and Reid were hanging out by their own desks, Penelope with them.

"Good night, guys." Paige said cheerfully, waving her small hands at them.

"See you later, Paige. Still on for Saturday?" Morgan replied, leaning against his desk.

"Most definitely." Paige turned to face him, and answered. Reid smiled shyly at his feet. Suddenly, Hotch came out of his office, and walked down the stairs.

"Good job on the case, everyone. " He announced to his team.

Hotch nodded his head, and walked to the exit, smiling to himself. He had plans of his own. He couldn't wait to spend a day with Jack. That was something that was worth everything.

"No man is worth your tears, but once you find one that is, he won't make you cry."- Author Unknown.

Paige tapped her thumbs on her steering wheel to the beat of The Rolling Stone's _Beggar's Banquet _album. Her favorite Stone's song was on the album, Sympathy for the Devil. She bobbed her head to the beat and rhythm, while weaving in and out of traffic to Garcia's apartment. She sighed as she stopped at a red light, only a corner from Garcia's. The light made her very impatient, so she sat, moaning.

She hadn't even asked Garcia the point of coming over to her place in the first place. She had figured Garcia wanted her to help with her outfit. But, knowing Garcia, she was already dressed and ready to go. Paige watched the light carefully, squinting. There had to be another reason. Unless, she was blowing it out of proportion. Paige lifted her shoulders, and let them fall disgracefully. The light shifted to green, and she turned into the nearest parking spot by the building.

As Paige walked up to the lobby of the apartment complex, she chewed on her lip. Something was definitely fishy. Its Garcia…she's capable of many things. What had she done? Paige ran up a few flights of stairs, until she finally reached Garcia's apartment. She sighed, then knocked gracefully and politely on her door.

Garcia opened the door, and stuck her head out into the hall. She swung it around, checking if anyone was in it, then pulled Paige into the room violently. "Paigey!" She squealed cheerfully, smiling.

"Hey, Pen." Paige greeted, while readjusting her clothes and sloppy hair.

"I suppose you want to know what you're here for?"

"Yes."

"Well, I've been snooping." Penelope stated carefully.

"Penelope, you know you're not supposed to do that." Paige grumbled, crossing her arms defensively. "What'd you dig up, and who was it on?"

"You."

"Me?" Paige shouted, balling her hands into small fists.

"Before you get any angrier and ruin your totally hot looks, it wasn't that bad. I snooped into your Dad's life."

"And?"

"And…Paige." Garcia looked down nervously at her hands, and sighed. She plopped down on her couch, and patted the seat next to her. Paige sat next to her, and stared at her.

"Pen?"

"Paige, your Dad is dead." Penelope whispered, trying not to look at her friend. "I'm so sorry."

Paige didn't flinch. "How?" She whispered back.

"Suicide. I don't know the details. I'm so, so, so sor-"

"It's okay. He's just another guy." Paige replied, standing up, and sighing.

"No, he's not, Paige." Penelope contradicted, standing up twice as fast.

"Penelope. He wasn't in my life for some twelve years. I'm very sad he's dead, but oh well."

Garcia bit her lip, and shut her eyes. "Paige, I love you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Are you ready? I'm read to have a good night." Paige mumbled, hugging Penelope quickly.

"Yeah, let's go. Separate cars?"

"Sure."

"I'll race you!" Penelope said, rushing out of her apartment. Paige laughed, and ran after her, shutting the door after her.

"Bitch!" She yelled, as she followed Penelope down the massive stairs to their cars.

Morgan's House

_Still Friday 5:45 P.M._

"Reid. You look like you're on the job."

"Sorry." Reid mumbled back, looking down at his apparel.

"Untuck the shirt, loosen the tie, and unbutton the vest if you must where it." Morgan critiqued his friend's clothes. He pulled on Spencer's tie, loosening it some, and then unbuttoned his vest. Finally, he pulled his shirt up, and stepped back to look at his work. "Much better." Derek mused, laughing as he walked back into his bathroom to check his looks one last time. Spencer rolled his eyes, and straightened his tie.

"So…" Reid said, walking around Derek's apartment aimlessly. He touched random things, books, CD's, furniture.

"They should be here any minute." Derek replied excitedly. He walked out of his bathroom feeling refreshed and hot, needless to say.

"Okay." Reid mumbled back, not paying much attention.

"Okay, Reid, spit it out. What's bothering you? We have two very hot dates, and you're moping." Derek insisted, walking up to Reid, and slapping him on the back. Spencer stood with his hands in his pockets, taking the hit.

"What if I mess up?" Reid whispered, shuddering delicately.

"You won't. Reid, it's obvious that Paige likes you, and you like her. You guys are perfect for each other." Morgan assured, smiling encouragingly.

"Whatever you say." Reid muttered, smiling back subconsciously. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Derek bit his lip excitedly, and walked up to the door. He opened it, and welcomed them in. Penelope leaned in to Derek, received a small peck on the lips, and nudged Paige. Paige gawked, and tried to laugh. She walked up to Spencer, and smiled.

Spencer stared at her in awe. She was stunning, absolutely stunning. She wore regular faded blue jeans, with a few rips in the legs. They fit her perfectly. Her shirt was a black and gray stripped one, with a V-neck. Her hair was, as normal, pulled up into its sloppy bun.

Derek, on the other hand, stared at Penelope. She was dressed in a white spaghetti strap dress with cherries on it. She had a short sleeve white, furry jacket over it, and red pumps. Paige thought she looked mediocre compared to her. Spencer waved back to Paige, and took a few more steps closer to her. Derek and Penelope kissed a few more times, and smiled with each other.

"Ready to go?" Derek asked, still staring at a smiling Penelope.

"Yeah." Spencer and Paige answered together.

The four of them walked to Derek's car, and got in. Spencer and Paige sat in the back, and Penelope and Derek in the front. Spencer sat by a window, and Paige sat in the middle, leaning on Spencer's shoulder. He smiled, and watched her closely.

They soon arrived at the local movie theatre, and parked. Spencer and Paige quickly held hands, leaning into each other. Penelope and Derek gossiped with each other about how adorable they looked. They walked up to the movie ticket booth, and read the movies playing. None if them sounded good.

"What about…never mind. I'm not seeing that." Paige whispered, gawking at the list.

"These movie's suck. What're we gonna do now?" Derek complained, sighing. Penelope grabbed his hand, and squeezed it.

"Let's go clubbing. Paige, any suggestions?" Garcia shouted, grinning.

"That's a laugh." Paige snorted.

"Fine. Everyone in the car. I'm driving us to a awesome bar with a great dance floor for Derek and I." Penelope declared, moving the three of them back to the car. Paige and Spencer tried to protest, but nothing was working. Penelope stood her ground, and wouldn't let anyone budge her. They all climbed back into the car, and she drove off.

Somehow, some way, they ended up at a small bar. There was a huge dance floor, which Penelope and Derek hit immediately. That left Spencer and Paige alone at a table in the corner, away from the loudness. Paige had decided to get a beer, which wasn't new, but wasn't common for her.

"Want some?" She offered to Reid, gesturing to the bottle in her hand.

Reid hesitated, the shook his head no. Paige shrugged, and smiled at him. She set the glass down, and slid closer to him.

"So, tell me about yourself. I realize I know nothing." Reid asked, propping his head up in his hands, watching Paige.

"Okay, ready? Twenty-five facts about Paige Singer. You can ask, or receive." She said, making up her own little game.

"Okay…one: Middle name?"

"Paige Ivy-Mae Singer." She answered, bobbing her head up and down.

"Really? That's a pretty name. Two: Favorite movie?"

"Star Wars, or Indiana Jones."

"I knew I liked you for a good reason." Spencer laughed. "Favorite food?"

"Chinese. No, Indian. No, no, um…Mexican. Scratch that, greasy." Paige sputtered, unsure of the actual answer.

"Confusing girl." Reid replied, laughing.

"What's that, mister genius?"

"Three."

"Right."

"Random facts?" Spencer suggested, licking his lips.

"Four: My favorite color is sky blue. Five: I can ice skate. Six: I hate Monopoly. Seven: I got confused for a boy once. That sucked. Eight: I got an offer from this local Victoria's Secret store to model for them, once." Paige said matter-of-factly.

"Did you do it?"

"No!" Paige shouted, hitting Reid's arm playfully.

"Anyway, nine: I've never broken a bone. Ten: When I first got interested in what I wanted to do with my life, I was going to be an artist and move to Liverpool, England. Eleven: I've eaten liver before. It didn't taste that bad. Twelve: I didn't learn how to ride a bike until I was ten. Thirteen: I spent my thirteenth birthday watching a Star Wars marathon on television." Paige paused, and glanced up at Spencer. "I can only imagine what you did for your thirteenth birthday."

"I was one year out of high school by then, Paige." Spencer replied, laughing. His laugh was light, and normal, not forced or nervous. It was adorable.

"Fine, what about you?"

Reid hesitated. "One: I admitted my Mom to an Insane Asylum when I was eighteen. Two: I write to her everyday because I feel guilty for doing so. Three: My Dad walked out on us when I was a kid. Four: I was once tied to a goal post naked by some jocks. Five: There's this really pretty- scratch that- beautiful girl with silky, big, green eyes, and crazy, cinnamon, curls that are always thrown up in a sloppy, perfect bun. And, I think that…I think that I really…love her."

Paige sat and stared at her drink for a few moments. Spencer knew he shouldn't of said anything, but he wanted her to know. He bit his lip in a nervous habit, and waited her answer. Paige wanted to tell him how her heart seemed to swell up when he said that, she wanted to tell Spencer she loved him, too. She sucked in short breaths, attempting to talk, and just making the situation look worse with every one. She became teary eyed, and sniffled. Her hands sat helplessly in her lap, which she stared at now. She was ecstatic that he said that he _loved _her. She hadn't known if it was her own faulty attraction, or if he had felt something too? All she knew was that he looked disappointed, surprised…maybe even scared, and she wasn't trying to make him feel like that.

"Fourteen: I love this man, who is smarter than Einstein. He is somewhat annoying to everyone," She sighed and smiled wryly, picking up her eyes, and lifting them to Reid's. "He has beautiful brown hair, that is a bit to long, and needs to be cut just a little bit. He has big eyes, and he's tall, lanky. He drink to much coffee, which makes him extremely skinny, because he hardly eats otherwise. I really do love him. He's a keeper." Paige replied sincerely, picking up her drink and taking a sip. Reid lifted his head a bit more, and smiled brilliantly. "You know, Mister Reid," She began, pausing to set her glass back on the tiny napkin on the dark wood table.

"What's that, Miss Singer?" He played along, sitting up and giving her all attention available.

She sniffled, and cleared her throat. "You, my fuzzy friend, make geeks, nerds, and intelligence very, _very_, sexy." She stated matter-of-factly. Reid smiled, and leaned over, and kissed her forehead. "Does that mean 'golden star'?"

"Yeah, sure." Reid answered, amused. He watched her beer slosh around in the bottle, as she picked it up, and swirled it around. She, herself, stared at her reflection in the glass, thinking endless thoughts. She bit the inside of her cheek, and snapped her head in the direction of Penelope and Derek, who were walking back over. Both were gasping for breath, and clutching to each other.

"Hey guys. Spencer, did you…ah…do what we talked about?" Morgan asked, winking, as they approached the table closer. Paige gasped, and hit Spencer's arm.

"You planned it? With Derek!" Paige yelled, just loud enough for the group to hear. She laughed loudly, and leaned onto Spencer. Spencer and Derek just laughed.

"Sorry, I needed some help." Spencer admitted, shrugging his shoulders. He smiled slyly, and glanced at Derek happily. He mouthed a thank you, and received a brief nod in his direction from Derek.

"You guys ready to bounce? Spence and I got one more place to hit." Derek grinned, and took Penelope's hand, and lead her out of the bar, Spencer and Paige, hand in hand, following.

_**Sometimes, a simple quote cannot just sum up what is difficult and terrifying. You just have to let the day end, and hope for the best.**_

Derek dropped Penelope off at her apartment, and Paige and Spencer at Paige's. Derek felt extremely happy, he felt on top of the world. He had the girl of his dreams, and so did his best friend. He couldn't wait to tell Reid about his latest plan. Reid would be ecstatic. Hopefully. No, no…he would. It's Reid.

Derek stopped at a red light, and sighed. He rubbed his temples while waiting for the light. He felt agitated all of the sudden. He sighed, and put his hands back on the wheel, and leaned his head against the head rest. He sometimes wondered why people as young as Singer and Reid even go for jobs like this. They were so young. It almost seemed like they were intoxicating their youth by doing this job.

Derek got home sooner or later, and jumped onto his bed. Nothing felt better then knowing that tomorrow, everyone would be happy, knowing that someone else was thinking of them. He knew he would. He loved Garcia, all of her thoughts, her actions, her wisdom, her past, just her everything seemed wonderful and beautiful.

Tomorrow was Sunday, and unless they were called in, they had it off. Weekend plans were a go. Penelope and him made plans to go rent some movies and watch them. Spencer said him, Paige, and Jonas were going o hang out and do the same. Everything was perfect, perfect. Was there another way to spell out perfection? Derek smirked to himself, _P-E-N-E-L-O-P-E_. Perfection seemed unreal, especially with the job that he and his friends worked. It seemed crazy. Even Hotch seemed happy.

If something went wrong, Derek Morgan was gonna be pissed.

"_**Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own." – Robert Heinlein**_

"Jonas, what're you doing? Got a hot date or something?" Paige grumbled, as she walked out of her bedroom, rubbing her eyes. She stumbled over to the couch, where Jonas sat eating scrambled eggs. He cut them into smaller bits with his fork, stabbed them, and shoveled them into his mouth. "And, where did you get the eggs from?"

Jonas looked up at his sister, and chuckled. "Spencer made me some. He said he'd be back in a while. As for me, no, I don't have a date." Jonas explained, chuckling as if Paige was silly for not knowing. Paige lifted her eyebrows in disbelief, and sat delicately next to her brother. She was in blue pajama pants, and a white tee shirt. You could easily see the outlines of her black bra underneath it.

"Right. What time is it?"

"Twelve."

"O'clock?"

Jonas widened his eyes at his sister, and tried to hide a smile. "Yes." He stated.

"Is something up? You're acting like the Duke of Windsor."

"Prince Edward, or the rock group?"

"You've been hanging around Spencer, haven't you?" Paige accused lightly, leaning back on the couch. "Anyway, any plans for today?"

"Well, Liam asked if I wanted to come over. Besides that…" Jonas shrugged, and stood up, taking his plate into the kitchen.

"How old are you, again?" Paige called to him.

"Ten?"

"Right. You're almost a teenager."

"Three years." Jonas agreed, coming back into the living room. "Why?"

"Well, first off, I forgot your birthday, and Christmas is coming soon. Second, you got a girlfriend?" Paige smiled cockily, and nudged her little brothers arm. He reddened in the face, and bit his cheek. "YOU DO!" Paige cheered over and over, until Jonas clamped his hand over her mouth to contain her excitement.

"If I tell you about it, will you shut. Up?" Jonas whispered, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Yes, sir!" Paige cheered, smiling.

"Okay, her name is Toby. She's beautiful. She's smart, like me. No, we aren't going out, and no, I haven't kissed her. She's my best friend besides Liam." Jonas explained quickly, rushing through everything.

"Aw, Jonas." Paige complained. "You're no fun. But, cute."

"Another thing."

"Yes?"

"She's sorta…coming over."

"Okay?"

"You're fine with that?"

"You guys will most likely watch History Channel and play with flashcards." Paige assured, smiling. "I'm fine."

"Cool." Jonas said, smiling. The two exchanged smiles, and went on their separate ways. Paige leaned back and wondered where Spencer was. She also wondered if she slept through a case. Oh God. What if she didn't answer her phone. Oh shit! Her phone! What if they called?

Paige flew off the couch, and back into her room, where she got dressed, and dug around for her phone. She found it, but saw that it was blank, nothing to worry about. She also searched around for Jonas's phone. She wanted to make sure the kid wasn't doing anything stupid. She found it in the couch cushions, and looked through it. He made three calls to one number, unidentified. Paige frowned.

She used her own phone to call Garcia, hoping she wasn't somewhere special.

"Hello, honey nut cheerios!" Garcia greeted, obviously happy.

"Hey, am I interrupting anything?"

"Nope. I'm just chilling with Derek."

"Can you trace a number for me?"

"Case work?"

"Personal."

"Gotcha." She shuffled around for a moment, then sighed. "What's the number?"

"810-460-3820."

"I'll get back to you."

"Thank you so much, Garcy."

"No problem, my little love bug." Paige ended the call, and set both phones down on the coffee table. She peeked into Jonas's small bedroom, and watched him for a moment. He had the basics- a bed, bureau, desk. He rumaged around the desk, and found a book. He layed it on his desk, with admiration and grace, and smiled at it. Paige crept away from the door, and blinked. Her phone on the coffee table buzzed, which scared her. She quickly regained composure, and grabbed it. She answered the phone, carefully placing it to her ear.

"I found the number."

"No witty Garcia-ness?"

"Not right now. Did you know who's phone that number was from?"

"Jonas's."

"Right. The number is a home phone number coming from the Chicago area. I traced it back to Mr. Paul and Mrs. Heather Singer. I looked into their lives for a split second, and found some interesting stuff. They had a daughter and a son. The daughter, Laura, married a man with a surname North, and had a daughter named Elizabeth. Now, the father married a woman named Rhea, and they had two kids. A daughter, Paige Ivy-Mae, and Jonas Joncas. Paul and Heather's son, however died, and their daughter died. Their granddaughter, Elizabeth lived with the North grandparents. Where, the Singer kids felt closer to the Singer grandparents rather than the Mother's side." Garcia explained the life of these people- Paige, Jonas, and Lizzie included.

"Right. I knew the family history, I just didn't know who's number it was." Paige mumbled.

"I'm not sure why, but I'm a little mad that Jonas had to sneak around your back to talk to his family, Paige." Garcia said firmly. She hung up, and left Paige scared, and lonely. When Paige turned around, phone still to her ear, Jonas was watching her.

"Why'd you call Gramma and Grampa?" Paige whispered, tears formulating in her eyes.

"I figured you wouldn't want me to."

"I loved them too! Why doesn't anyone freaking see that?" Paige yelled through tears of hot, boiling hatred, all melted down.

"I believed you! But, Mom insisted to Gramma and Grampa that you hated them." Jonas yelled back, his face becoming red with fear and anger.

"Mom said that to them? No wonder." Paige muttered darkly. "What'd you guys talk about?"

Jonas hesitated. "They want me to come for Christmas."

"Do you want to?" Paige asked, tenderly crouching down and pulling her brother into a hug.

"Yes, but I don't want you to be alone."

"I won't be." Paige paused. "I promise you."

"I'll call them back and tell them the truth. I promise _you_."

"Good. Now, we got to get this place cleaned up for Toby!" Paige boasted, standing up, and looking about her.

Now, plans for Chirstmas. What now?

_**We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies. ~Shirley Abbott  
**_

_**If you don't believe in ghosts, you've never been to a family reunion. ~Ashleigh Brilliant**_

_**Family: A social unit where the father is concerned with parking space, the children with outer space, and the mother with closet space. ~Evan Esar**_

_**A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold. ~Ogden Nash**_


	8. Well, I've Never Been to Heaven

**Special thanks to ShadowSammy, ShaNini86, BbyStarlette, CrazyR, CrazyR, and CrazyR, and Getsemone for the support. **

**-Rage908**

_**Tearless grief bleeds inwardly. ~Christian Nevell Bovee**_

_The Singer apartment_

_Sunday, 6:30 P.M._

Paige and Jonas Singer were running unusually late. Jonas had to be at Patty's so she could drop the boys off at school, and Paige had to be at work. Jonas wore faded blue jeans, and a polo shirt. His thick dark brown hair was gently tousled, but all in all fine. He sniffled as he put on his backpack, and watched his sister rush out of her room. She power walked all over the place, checking to make sure she had everything she needed. Her hands were busy putting her hand up in the sloppy bun, while she looked at her phone that sat on the coffee table. Once she was done with her hair, she immediately picked up her phone, and stuffed it in her pocket.

"C'mon, Jonas." Paige muttered, slipping on her winter coat, and making sure her car keys were in her pocket. Jonas gave her a quick hug, and slipped out of the door, into the hallway, and jogged to Patty and Liam's. Paige, on the other hand, went to the stairs and ran down them. She quickly got to her car, and started it up. As soon as she could feel her fingers, she took off, heading to work.

_Michigan State University_

_Monday, 9:00 A.M._

Students filled up almost every seat in the large classroom. They all talked in whispers, and waited for their teachers to come in and begin the lecture. Rossi, Reid, and Singer had been asked to come to the university to students about the advantages of working in the FBI. Rossi, Reid, and Singer sat in front off all of the kids, drinking coffee and waiting for them to all come and settle. Rossi noticed it was nine o'clock, and stood up. Reid and Singer stood as well, and put on a nice smile for everyone.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Supervisory Special Agent Dave Rossi, and these are my coworkers." Rossi projected to the students, nodding in general directions as if to say hello.

"I'm Special Agent Paige Singer."

"And, I'm Doctor Spencer Reid." Reid announced, waving.

"Today, we want to share with you- all of you- the opportunities and benefits of working in the FBI." Rossi went on, picking up a folder filled with papers about topics they were going to discuss.

"We're from the B.A.U. For those who don't know, it stands for Behavioral Analysis Unit. We help local, along with state, and federal criminal justice departments with cases." Paige explained, also using her hands to talk. "Today, we're going to use the time we have to talk about crimes, the academy, the FBI in general, and take questions or comments."

"Now, can anybody tell me the Director of the F.B.I.?" Rossi asked, a wry smile playing on his lips. A boy in the back row raised his hands, as well as a few other hesitant hands. "Guy in the back?"

"Robert S. Mueller III."

"Correct." Reid mumbled, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Any questions about anything we're going to talk about?" Rossi asked, scanning the audience. A good amount of hands rose, and Rossi glanced at Paige. "I think we'll have our newest agent answer."

Paige gestured to a raised hand, and listened closely for the question. "Do you have to study any certain subject to be in the F.B.I.?"

"No. The FBI welcomes all types of majors. Computer Science, Engineering, Biology. You name it. Although, if you're very sure about being in the FBI, then Criminology and Psychology may be good classes to take. I took those. Then, you can apply for the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia." Paige answered. She was about to say something else, when her phone began to ring. She looked at it, and saw that Hotch was calling. "The boss man, I'll take it outside." She said to Reid and Rossi. She walked to the doors, and answered the phone.

"Paige?" Hotch's firm voice sounded through the small speaker on the phone.

"Yes?"

"Okay, we got a case in Detroit, Michigan. Are you guys fine with just catching a plane to come out here when you're done?"

"I can do better than that, sir. I can take off a few hours of the lecture and get us out earlier."

"Alright. We'll fill you in when you get here."

"Okay. Singer out." Paige said, then hung up the phone. Her curious mind wondered what the case was, but it was no bother right now. She pulled the door open to the classroom, and walked in silently as she could. After eventually getting back to the front, she nodded awkwardly at Rossi and Reid, who were discussing training at the FBI academy with the students. Reid was going off about training courses, exercises, and the basics. Rossi noticed Paige, and cleared his throat, gesturing for Reid to shut up. Reid obliged, and stepped back to let Rossi take the stage.

"What's up, Singer?" Rossi asked, loud enough for the class to hear. Although it wasn't something she was really supposed to share with the class, she did anyway. She stuck her tongue in her cheek, and shuffled closer to Rossi.

"Case in Detroit." She mumbled loud enough for him to hear. Rossi looked confused, and irritated.

"How is it that the day we come to Michigan, we get a case just a few hours from here?" Rossi muttered, raising his eyebrows suspiciously.

"I don't know." Paige stated bluntly, shrugging her shoulders softly. "Hotch said as soon as we can end the class, and get out to Detroit, they'll brief us."

"Hm, alright. We'll wrap this up in an hour or so. Tell Reid, and get the stuff ready so we can jet as soon as we're done here." Rossi commanded softly, glancing up at the waiting audience. Paige sighed, and walked to the nearby tables where they had set their coats, bags, brief cases, and file folders. She packed away the papers that had been scattered about, and arranged the folders neatly. Hopefully they wouldn't be jostled around too much, she thought. She turned on her heel, and watched as Rossi and Reid answered questions about the BAU, the FBI, then criminals, the crimes, and the profiles. It was almost odd that those questions- questions that many are confused upon or lack the knowledge of- are like the nature for the BAU. They know the crimes, criminals, and how they work, how they play, how they talk, or act. It struck Paige hard knowing that she knew things about the human mind that go in one ear and out the other for some people. Some people believe their work is just the little magical touches. She was suddenly puzzled. Paige couldn't pull herself out of the thoughts of knowing what crime and act will come next of a killer. It was unnatural. Sort of.

Paige's thought process dimmed down when she realized it was already eleven-thirty. She sighed, and tried to remember how long it took to get to Detroit from Lansing. Around an hour and a half, as long as she remembered to stay on I- 696 this time around. She and a friend lived in a small town around Detroit, and they had both worked in the Metro- Detroit area. She was fairly familiar with Michigan, seeing as though some relatives lived there for some time, while others lived in Illinois. She puckered her lips in deep concentration, and thought about the highways. She hated highways, and she hates driving on them. No bother, she'll force one of the guys to do the driving.

"Paige?" Rossi's voice tumbled into her ear, awakening her from the deep concentrated thought process working in her brain. She snapped her head up, and stood up straight. Clearing her throat, she chuckled instantly.

"Sir, yes, sir?" She answered, walking up to him.

"Can you please explain to the class why we have to leave…" Rossi paused to check his watch. "Now?" Paige smiled, and turned to face the students. All of them had looks of sorrow on their young faces. Paige's smiled fell and she grimly explained their situation.

"The BAU has been called by the Metro Detroit Police Department to help work a case, so they need our help. Therefore, we're not much help if we're here in Lansing. I'm sorry, everyone, but we need to leave." Paige bit her bottom lip, and backed up into Rossi. She spun around, and felt the blush sweeping across her face. He punched her lightly in the arm, and led her to the table to get her bag and coat. The teacher, who was in a trance, fascinated by the agent's appearance, had taken to the class's attention. Paige slipped on her coat, and slung her bag on her shoulder, and followed Rossi and Reid out to the parking lot.

Sometimes, cases were a pain in the ass for everyone.

_MDPD (Metro Detroit Police Department)_

_1:45 P.M._

"Um, Agent Hotchner? Yeah, uh, you have visitors? They claim to be Rossi, Reid and Singer. Should I do a background check?" The Deputy Sheriff asked, completely unaware of the three agent's statuses. Hotch lightly smiled, and shook his head no, explaining that they were the three agents he was talking about earlier. The Deputy Sheriff realized his mistakes, and let the three agents through to the conference room.

Hotch, Prentiss, Morgan, and Garcia on the laptop sat in the small, cramped, dark conference room. The room had a small table with just enough blue desk chairs; with a white erase board, and a map of Detroit. Paige, Dave, and Spencer came in, and got settled in, shrugging off their coats and setting their stuff down.

"So," Rossi said, while sitting in a chair next to Hotch. "What do we have?" Hotch eyed the three, and gave them each a folder with pictures and detailed explanations of the murders.

"Two teenagers, Kate Denswarth, and Fran Everdine, were found yesterday on the Detroit River boardwalk. Kate and Fran suffered from basically the same injuries, leading us to believe there's a smart serial killer in the midst." Hotch began, gesturing to the pictures of Kate and Fran, both beautiful, young girls.

"What were the injuries?" Reid asked as he scanned the reports quickly.

Hotch locked eyes with Rossi, an obvious sign of brutal torture. "They were both bruised on their arms, a sign of a struggle, they most likely fought back. The UnSub most likely doesn't have an identity to himself just yet."

"These girls look similar. Blonde waves, light blue eyes, spray of freckles over the bridge of the nose." Singer said, searching for the similarities of the two girls. Hotch nodded, and looked over Singer's shoulder.

"Singer, I want you to go over Victimology, and keep up with Penelope. You and Penelope are to work with each other." Hotch ordered, knowing that Singer could do good.

"Yes sir."

"Prentiss, talk to the families. Reid, Morgan, you two go to the coroner and examine the bodies. Rossi, you and I will go to the crime scenes." Hotch said, gesturing to each person as he gave out the orders. Everyone nodded, and grabbed their badges, guns, and coats. It was extremely cold in Detroit, sadly. Paige watched everyone leave, and she plopped into a chair, sighing. She was alone, and needed to get to work. She turned to the table, and dialed Penelope's number on the phone speaker contraption sitting on the table. It rang, then finally, Pen answered.

"Hello, you've reached the offices of the Goddess of All Knowing. How can I help you?" Penelope asked, her voice playful.

"Hey, Pen. It's Paige. I need you to dig up the dirt on Kate Denswarth and Fran Everdine. I'm going to start mapping this out. Shit, I forgot to- never mind, it's in the folder." Paige rambled, mostly talking to herself. "Anyhoo, we're basically going to be working together today, so might as well stay on the line until someone else calls. Oh, and about that whole thing about Jonas…I was cut off from my grandparents. It wasn't intentional."

"I know…I'm sorry for blowing up. Anyway, sounds good, Paigey." Garcia chuckled, and began typing. She cross referenced Kate and Fran to see if they were in the same place at the same time, she dug up files, certificates, and anything on a paper trail that would be a lead. Paige stuck two thumbtacks into the map, representing where the two girls were found. Right next to the Merry-Go-Round by the RiverFront Café in the Rivard Plaza. Simple enough, right?

"Hey, Paige?" Penelope's voice rang out from the speaker.

"Yeah?"

"Both girls were at the RiverFront café on the days they went missing. Listen, so Kate Denswarth went missing Saturday, and Fran went missing on Sunday, then both bodies were found today. He most likely has a cycle going."

"Good thought. Anything else?"

"Still digging. Call Hotch and tell him about that, and I'll dig. Right now, that's all we can do." Penelope answered, still typing. Paige took out her personal cell phone, and dialed Hotch's number, and he answered quickly.

"Hotchner."

"Hey, Penelope and I have mapped out what we think is his itinerary. We think he nabs two people, on different days, then murders them both together, then dumps together."

"If that's so, he'll be picking up another tomorrow, and Wednesday."

"That would be correct."

"Anything else?"

"Still working on it. Garcia and I have a number of things we're researching here."

"Good work. Call if there's anything else."

"Yes, sir."

Paige hung up, then briskly looked at the white board, and wrote down the schedule.

_Saturday: Kate Denswarth goes missing. Sunday: Fran Everdine goes missing. Monday: Both are found. Tuesday: Possible victim. Wednesday: Possible victim. Thursday: Possible dumping. _Paige bit her lip, and sighed. They had a little less than forty-eight hours to figure out who could be a next target.

"Hey, Garcia?" Paige called behind her.

"Yes, fair maiden?" Garcia called back, typing still being heard in the background.

"What are the opening and closing times for the River Walk? He couldn't dump the bodies in the middle of the day when it was open."

"I see where you're going with this. Making the horizons a little bluer." Penelope sighed, and paused. "Seven days a week opens six A.M. closes ten P.M."

"Then that means he dumped the bodies last night, or early this morning. But, Detroit's always busy, so he probably dumped it around twelve. Meaning, he has a large, dull vehicle that isn't suspicious, but isn't unnoticeable." Paige hypothesized, reaching for her phone. "Thank you, Garcy."

"No problem, oh great one."

_Autopsy Lab_

_Still Monday, 2:30 P.M._

Reid and Morgan watched as the coroner pulled the body out on its metal bed. Reid squinted, looking for any signs that would help. Morgan did the same, and sighed. This body was of Kate Denswarth, first taken, first served.

"What can you tell us, Ma'am?" Morgan asked, glancing up at the Doctor as she pulled on blue latex gloves.

"She was most likely hit over the head with something hard, a bat, pipe. That's most likely her first hit, if you look here on her head." The doctor pointed to a huge, bulging bruise on Kate's head, it was purple and blue, with dried blood.

"Alright, so he must be luring the victims to a vehicle, or taking them by surprise." Morgan replied, making a mental note.

"Wait a minute-" The doctor whispered, making Derek and Spencer snap their attention to her hands. She opened up the wound on Kate's head a bit more, and pulled out a long, thin piece of wood. "I can assure you that it was a bat."

"Alright, what else?" Reid pressed, still scanning over her body. He poked at her arms for a few moments, then finally picked it up. "Track marks?" He asked, confused.

"Yes. It suggests that she used. Obviously more than once, and in the last few days. Blood tests will reveal more of that later." The doctor confirmed. "She has many battle scars, and cuts."

"Alright. What about Fran?" Morgan wondered aloud.

"Fran's the same. Blow to the head. Cuts, scars, wounds. I noticed she had a rash around her mouth, showing she had her time with inhalants."

"Okay." Morgan said, stripping off the gloves, Reid doing the same. "Thank you." He shook the doctors hand, and began to leave with Reid.

"One more thing." The doctor said, stopping them. "Both were…both were pregnant."

_MDPD_

_Still Monday, 3:05 P.M._

"Singer."

"Paige, we need Pen to dig up anything and everything on Fran and Kate."

"What went on at autopsy?"

"I'll explain more later, but basically, both Fran and Kate were users, and both were pregnant." Spencer rushed his words, making Paige nervous.

"Got it. See you in a while."

"See ya."

Hung up.

Paige whirled around, and practically yelled at the speaker on the table. "Penelope. Search up anything on Kate and Fran's back life. Arrest, complaints, hospitalizations."

"What's wrong?" Penelope asked urgently.

"They were both using and pregnant. Something's up here."

_RiverFront Café Crime Scene_

_Still Monday, 3:30 P.M._

Rossi, Hotch, Morgan, and Reid were all standing by the small Merry-Go-Round by the small RiverFront Café. There was no blood, no signs of anything. They were obviously D.O.A.

"We need to get back to the station, Paige has to have something." Hotch mumbled, turning around, and walking to the black SUV. "Rossi, call Prentiss and see what's up with her. Tell her to meet us at the station, pronto."

"Yes, sir." Rossi muttered, dialing Emily's number.

"Prentiss."

"Hey, we need everyone back at the station. How's it going?"

"I'll explain at the station. I'll be there in a few."

"Alright, see you there."

"Bye, Dave."

"Good bye." Rossi hung up, and shoved his phone back into his pocket. "Something's wrong in Emily's place."

"What is it?" Hotch asked as they climbed into the front of the car. Hotch watched as Morgan and Reid climbed into the other car, and started it up.

"She didn't tell me, but her voice wavered much. I think something's wrong."

"Paige sounded like she had a lot. We'll have to regroup." Hotch replied, pulling away from the crime scene, and onto the busy roads.

_MDPD_

_Still Monday, 4:00 P.M._

The team sat down together at the table, only Hotch stood. He waited for everyone to settle, and sighed. "Paige, I want you to start."

Paige stood up, and walked over to the white board. "I've mapped out what I think is his schedule. Saturday, he took Kate, Sunday, he took Fran, and today those two were found. Now, the River Walk closes at ten P.M. and reopens at six A.M. So, he either did it last night, or early this morning. I assume he did it last night, due to Detroit's early rising people."

"That would make sense. Anything else?" Hotch agreed, secretly proud to have this new person, so timid and small compared to his other agents, be so brave and eager to share her thoughts.

"Garcia got down to it. Both Kate and Fran were arrested for dealing, and possession of Heroin…" Paige's voice cracked, as she winced on the word that made her thoughts fumble. "…On Kate and Crack on Fran. Kate visited a local doctor recently, paid with a credit card, most likely because she was pregnant. Fran did the same. They also used their credit cards at the RiverFront café on the days they went missing. Garcia also found that they both regularly visited a psychiatrist. The same one. Doctor Wilson. The address is being sent to each of your phones." Paige went on explaining. She felt very smart, and proud of herself for being able to help this much.

"Alright." Hotch said, letting Paige sit. "Prentiss?"

Emily didn't bother to stand up, for she had nothing to show. "I went to Kate Denswarth's family, first. Now, they kicked Kate out when she was seventeen, and at seventeen, she was a Quinton, not a Denswarth. I'll leave Garcia to dig up the marriage certificates on that one. They said they were sad, but Kate never wanted to participate in the family, so they didn't consider her family anyhow. That didn't help. They let me look through her things, nothing."

"Garcia?" Hotch called, knowing she was still on the line on the speakerphone contraption the Paige had a hard time working.

"Yeah, sir?"

"Marriage certificate?"

Garcia was quiet, searching, for only a few moments, though. "Kate and Jonathon Denswarth were married when she was twenty-one, and he was twenty-five. They got married at a local church. Quick, and easy, I should say, no one attended."

"Why hasn't he contacted the police? What about Fran?" Hotch directed back to Prentiss.

"Fran's Mom and Dad were crying so hard, they could hardly speak. Fran had run away when she was fifteen, and most likely lived on the streets, and was a prostitute. Besides that, nothing useful."

"Alright, Morgan and Reid?"

"Well, the coroner told us that both girls were hit over the head with a bat. Most likely taken by surprise. Kate had track marks from needles, telling us that she used only a couple days ago. Fran had a rash around her mouth, suggesting inhalants. Besides that, both were brutally injured." Morgan explained, leaning back in his chair.

"And most importantly, both girls were pregnant." Reid added.

"Kate's baby is probably her husbands, but Fran's was probably a clients." Paige noted, leaning forward in her seat, getting more into the conversation.

"As for Hotch and I, nothing was at the crime scene worth talking about." Rossi finished off, tired of sitting around.

"We have less than twenty-four hours to find this guy, or he'll take another girl, and then another. Paige, Prentiss, go to the psychiatrist's office and see what he knows. Morgan, Rossi, and I will go around the city asking if anybody saw the two girls. Reid, stay here and work with Garcia. Call if anything else happens." Hotch concluded, as the Sheriff walked into the room.

"Hello, sorry, Agent Hotchner for interrupting." The young woman, around forty, said.

"Hello, everyone, this is Sheriff Eliza Dessel. Sheriff, the three you didn't meet are Agents Singer and Rossi, and Doctor Reid."

"Well, nice to meet you all. I just wanted to check up on you guys." She offered a smile to everyone, especially Derek.

"We're doing good, I think. We need a bit more time before we give the profile."

"Well, I see you have his schedule down. The victimology, any leads we can follow?"

"Not so much. Both girls weren't family people. Both were pregnant, and went to the same psychiatrist. We're starting there." Hotch answered, obviously trying to make the Sheriff leave.

"Alright. I just wanted to inform you that we have a motel for all of you, but only three rooms. I'll leave you to decide what happens with that." She told them smugly, knowing she had her own bed to go to tonight. She ducked her head politely, and slipped out of the room.

"I am not sharing a room with Reid." Morgan announced, receiving much needed laughs from everyone.

"Well, let's go to the motel, get some rest. Everyone's awake by six-thirty. Meet back here." Hotch said, grabbing his stuff, and gesturing to Rossi to follow him to the cars.

"_**There are some doubts as to who are the best people to have children, but there can be no doubt that parents are the worst."- Author Unknown**_

MDPD

_Tuesday, 7:00 A.M._

Hotch and the team made it over to the motel with only three rooms for them. Spencer and Paige shared a room, Hotch and Rossi shared a room, sleeping in different beds, of course, and Morgan and Prentiss shared a room. All went well, especially since Morgan took the floor. When they all woke up, Spencer and Paige were first to get to the station, naturally. Sooner or later, Hotch and Rossi showed up, quickly followed by Morgan and Prentiss.

"Alright, I trust the fact that all of you remember what we're doing here. Meet back in two hours." Hotch quickly said, them left with Rossi and Morgan in one of the black SUV's. Paige and Prentiss waved good-bye to Reid sympathetically, and made their way to their vehicle. Prentiss offered to drive, so Paige tossed her the keys over the hood of the car, and slid into the passenger seat.

"So…" Prentiss began, very suspiciously.

"What…" Paige wondered, glancing over at her. Prentiss loosened her grip on the steering wheel, and prayed quickly that Paige didn't take any offense.

"Are you…happy here?" Prentiss asked, licking her lips.

"Very. I mean, besides that fact that death is very common here, yes, I'm happy." Paige answered honestly. She cracked her knuckles and looked over at Prentiss. "Are you?"

"Of course. Another question…"

"Shoot."

"Why Reid?" She asked, not insensitively, but just…honestly. It wasn't meant to taken mean, but it wasn't such a great format.

Paige shrugged and sighed. "He's nice, he's smart. He's adorable, for one thing. I don't know. He can be annoying, but so can Hotch, or me, or Morgan, you know? We all have our tendencies. I'm just…attracted to him."

"You're lucky. You two seem good for each other. He really struggled not to long ago. I think you're good for him." Prentiss smiled, and briefly looked over at Paige.

"Well, thanks. It means a lot to me, Emily." Paige replied, and then rubbed her forehead.

"We're almost there, kiddo." Emily laughed, and pulled into a small, decent parking lot, and parked next to an ugly brown van. Get a load of that thing, Paige thought arrogantly. She opened the door to the car, and jumped out of it. She walked around her side, and met Emily behind the car. "Ready to go?"

"Surely." Paige whispered, and followed Emily to the office building. They pulled open the doors, and shuffled up to a secretary desk.

"Hello, do you have an appointment?" A bubbly lady, with ginger colored hair and small eyes asked.

"I don't think we need one." Prentiss answered, pulling out her badge, Paige doing the same. "FBI, I'm Agent Emily Prentiss, and this is Agent Paige Singer."

"Oh dear…"

"We're here to talk to a Doctor Wilson. Is he in today, ma'am?" Paige asked, her voice stern and firm.

"Yes, dear. His office is right around the corner. He should be in there." The lady answered, pointing a shaky finger to a hallway the turned to another hallway, and so on and so forth.

"Thank you." Prentiss said, staring at the hall. "Let's go, Paige." The two girls walked hurriedly down the hall, and turned a corner, and found a door marked, "Doctor Wilson, Psychiatrist." Prentiss nodded back at Paige, gesturing to her that she didn't need her gun, but to stay alert. Prentiss knocked on the glass, and waited for someone to answer.

"Doctor Wilson, this is the FBI. Open up." Paige shouted, while Prentiss banged on the glass some more. Finally, a man answered it. He was tall, and muscular, that you could obviously tell from his thin shirt. He had brown hair, and daring blue eyes. His nose was a bit crooked, and his teeth were perfectly straight.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Wilson, something wrong?" The man said, his deep, husky voice annoying Prentiss a bit.

"Yes. I'm here regarding two of your patients." She answered, lifting up the photographs (The nice ones) of Kate and Fran. Paige watched his face steadily, looking for signs. When he looked at the pictures, his whole face was a smug look.

"Yes, I know them. What about it?"

"They've been murdered. We just want to know what they were here for." Doctor Wilson looked at Prentiss and Singer guiltily, and let them into his office.

"Kate and Fran were two good people." He began, sitting on a chair behind his desk, and gesturing at the two Agents to sit. They sat simultaneously, and looked around for something suspicious.

"What did Kate and Fran talk to you about while they were here?" Singer asked, leaning onto his desk. She smiled at him, which made him a bit cockier.

"Well, Kate told me that she was pregnant with her husbands child, but she didn't want it. She was merely depressed, so we talked until she felt a bit better. Fran was never much of a talker, but she came anyways."

"Why do you suppose she did?" Prentiss asked suspiciously.

"I don't know. Fran never really wanted to say if she had problems or not."

"Did you know that Fran was pregnant?" Paige suddenly asked. Wilson froze, and tensed up. His breathing slowed, and after a few moments, became normal again. Off reaction.

"No." He whispered, but it was obvious. He was lying.

"Did you and Fran have an affair?" Prentiss pressed, catching on at what Singer was laying out.

"No!" Wilson shouted, standing up defensively. He calmed himself down, and sighed. "I think it's time you two left." He whispered, and watched as they stood, and walked out of the office.

"That went well." Singer mumbled, and glanced up at Prentiss.

"It did. He and Fran had an affair, and the baby was his." Prentiss agreed, sniffling.

"Prentiss, did you see the way he looked at those girls pictures? He was smug. These types of people, they love to revisit their fantasies. I think we just let him do so." Paige bit her lip, and looked at Prentiss.

"He's definitely not ruled out." Prentiss said, walking forward to the main lobby, and back out to the car.

"Well, what do you suppose will be next?"

"Another victim, and Jonathon Denswarth." Prentiss muttered, sliding into the driver's seat of the car.

"God, this job sucks." Paige mumbled back, climbing back into the car, and sighing as the slight rumble of the engine startled her.

MDPD

_Still Tuesday, 8:28 A.M._

"Hotch," Prentiss shouted, getting his attention from Sheriff Dessel. He turned on his heel, glad to be away from the lady, and walked over to meet them. Hotch sighed, and saw the ghastly look on their faces, knowing something was going on.

"Alright, what happened?"

"Greg Wilson was having an affair with Fran, which makes him a suspect."

"He also kept looking at the pictures of them, smugly." Paige added.

"He told us that Kate had already been pregnant with Jonathon's baby."

"Alright. Prentiss, take Reid and go arrest Doctor Wilson for a couple hours. If nothing happens, I assume we'll have our guy."

"Yes, sir." Prentiss said, leaving them to retrieve Reid. Hotch watched her go, and turned to Paige.

"Thank you for saving my ass from the Sheriff." He whispered to her, and slightly smiled. Paige smirked, and chuckled. "Now, you and I will figure something out here, but first, I want to know what Morgan and Rossi are up to downtown. We're going to go down there, and help them out."

"Sounds good, sir." Paige answered, following him out to the cars. He let Paige drive as he called Rossi for an update.

"Rossi."

"Dave, Prentiss and Singer just got back, apparently our neighborhood psychiatrist had an affair with Fran and got her pregnant. Kate was impregnated by Jonathon. Prentiss and Reid are taking him in for interrogation right now." Hotch updated, watching Singer as she drove quietly to the areas where the junkies, bums, prostitutes and homeless hung out.

"Alright. We're almost done here, where's Singer?"

"With me, we're driving down to meet you."

"Oh, alright. We're on…ah…" Rossi's voice was muffled as he took the phone away from his ear and asked what street he was on. "Okay, got it, thank you. We're on Front Road."

"Alright. See you guys in a few minutes." Hotch said, then hung up. He leaned back in his seat, and sighed. "Paige, I want you to make sure you have your gun somewhere reachable, and stay by us, alright?"

Paige rolled her eyes, but with much respect for her boss. If that was possible, at least. "I can take care of myself. But, I will."

"Alright. Pull over here, and we'll walk over to them."

Greg Wilson's office

_Still Tuesday, 8:58 A.M._

Prentiss nodded to the woman at the front desk, practically asking where he was. She shrugged, and watched as Prentiss pulled out her badge. "I'm Agent Emily Prentiss and this is Agent Spencer Reid, we're with the FBI. Where is Greg Wilson?"

"In his office." One of the other secretaries yelled, not wanting any trouble.

"Reid, let's go." Prentiss drew her gun out of its holster, and walked quickly to his office, Reid behind her. She banged on his door, and yelled for him to come out with his hands in the air. No answer. Finally, she just opened the door. Reid and her ran in, and pointed their guns in different directions.

"He's not in here…" Reid mumbled, then turned, just in time to see a man raising a bat over his head, crashing it down on Prentiss' head. "PRENTISS!" Reid yelled, startling the man. It was obvious Prentiss was still breathing, but her breaths were shallow. The man came over to Reid, and yanked the gun out of the Agent's sweaty hands. He hit Reid on the side of the face with the bat.

Both on the floor facing each other, the agents tried to talk. Neither could, air was scarce, and their consciousness was slipping. The man stood over them, as if he were more powerful then them. In this sad case, he was. Prentiss squirmed on the floor, trying to reach a gun or a cell phone, in which he had taken both from them and threw them back into the very corners of the office.

"You know what's funny," Prentiss finally I.D'd this man as Greg Wilson. "You, ma'am are very pretty, I can see why this one would follow you around." He nudged Reid with his brown hiking boot. Reid couldn't do anything but breath for a few moments longer. He wished Paige were there to comfort him, or help him. He just wished he could picture her face in his mind, but he couldn't. To weak. He felt tears rolling down his cheek, something he couldn't exactly stop.

"Aw, what's wrong?" The man bullied Spencer. "Scared for your miserable life?"

Spencer cried more, still longing for Paige.

"Good."

"Jesus Christ, I'm alone again, so what did you do those three days you were dead? Cause this problems going to last more than the weekend." – Jesus Christ, Brand New

Paige, Rossi, Morgan and Hotch sat at the motel lobby, wondering where Spencer and Emily were. Paige was especially afraid, hoping they were okay. Morgan tried calling them again, but no answer. Paige's phone began to ring, which made everyone freeze. She hurriedly took it out of her pocket, and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Paige?" A weak voice said.

"Spencer? Where are you? What happened?"

"Paige." The voice cracked. Paige felt tears in her eyes, as they widened in horror. She heard a thud, and a cry out for help. Cries, tears. She bit her lip, and put the phone on speaker.

"Listen." A voice rang out. Morgan already had Penelope on the phone, having her trace the call.

"Who is this?" Paige sounded mad, trying to keep herself brave.

"Obviously your worst nightmare, Ms. Paige."

"Greg Wilson." Paige mouthed to Hotch. Hotch nodded, and decided to speak to him.

"Greg Wilson, this is Agent Hotchner with the Behavioral Analysis Unit. I just want to talk."

"Talking? Getting out our feelings? I deal with people's shit everyday! I'm sick of it!" Greg spat at them.

"Greg, we can make a deal. Let our agents go, and I'll get the court to cut your sentence down." Hotch reasoned, biting his lip.

"You know, Mr. Hotchner, its funny. In your world, my...oh what is it…M.O. has changed. I kidnapped a male, and boy oh boy, he's fun to torture." Greg answered casually. Paige snapped her head towards the phone. Hotch glanced at her, and held up his hand.

"What are you doing to them? I know you like talking about it." Hotch answered, trying to make him talk about past murders.

"Well, Emily, she's a sweetheart. She tells me she can take the hits. It fun. Now, Spencer, he's whiney. And, when I'm not picking on him, he's moaning and groaning about some girl. I'm sure it's nothing." Greg laughed devilishly, and snickered. Paige couldn't breathe, or so it seemed. Morgan stood up and put an arm around Paige. She gritted her teeth, and waited for him to say something else.

"Do we have a deal, Mister Wilson?" Hotch ignored the comments he dropped. He couldn't stand the thought of him torturing his 'family'.

"Naw, Mister Hotchner, I love torturing these two. I don't care much for that stupid M.O. of mine much anymore." Greg boasted. "I'm going to keep these two. Good day, Mister Hotchner."

"Wait!" Hotch yelled, getting Greg's attention. "Let us talk to them, first." Greg didn't answer, then finally, the four of them heard muffled sounds.

"Hello?" Prentiss' voice rang. It was hushed, and husky, hoarse.

"Prentiss, are you and Reid all right?" Rossi asked, leaning next to Hotch.

"Yes, Reid's here with me. We're fine. Kind of."

"Is there anyone else with you?"

"A little girl. Her name is Ginny." Reid answered, his voice sounding a bit better.

"Reid, are you okay?" Morgan asked, truly worried for his 'buddy'.

"I'm f-fine."

"Can you describe where you are?"

"Cold. Dark." Prentiss coughed, and screamed. It sounded like she was hit. Greg fumbled with the phone, and laughed darkly. He kicked something, making it scream.

"There she is, that's little miss Ginny." He laughed some more. "Hey, I just want y'all to know, if any of you try looking for them, they are dead."

Click.

Hotch looked down, miserable. "How the hell could this happen?" He yelled, startling everyone.

"Hotch, he was probably planning this." Rossi assured.

"Paige, get Garcia. Ask her to start tracking this guy down. Morgan, Rossi, and I are going to start the profile." Hotch and the other guys left to go back to the station, while Paige called Garcia back.

"Hey, Paige."

"No witty Garcia-ness?" Paige tried to sound cheerful, but nothing was working.

"Not right now, sweet cheeks. What'd ya need?"

"Everything on Greg Wilson. Did you get the call?"

"Disposable cell. It's in a trash can."

"Shit." Paige mumbled.

"We're going to find Reid."

"We're going to find this bastard." Paige restated.

"Right."

"Call me when you get something."

"Will do."

"_**Well I never been to Spain  
But I kinda like the music  
Say the ladies are insane there  
And they sure know how to use it  
The don't abuse it  
Never gonna lose it  
I can't refuse it**_

Well I never been to England  
But I kinda like the Beatles  
Well, I headed for Las Vegas  
Only made it out to Needles  
Can you feel it  
It must be real it  
Feels so good  
Oh, feels so good

Well I never been to heaven"

Three Dog Night

Liked? CLIFFHANGER! Kind of! The song used at the end is my Grandpa's favorite song, its called Never Been To Spain by Three Dog Night. If you're interested, look it up. It's good. I used it because it inspires me, not that it really has much to do with the story. Thanks for reading, don't forget to review.

_**-Rage908**_


	9. Once You're Here, You're Never Gone

"_**Charlie, we accept the love we think we deserve." – The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky**_

_MDPD_

_Wednesday, 9:07 A.M._

"He visited the hospital many times as a child for broken bones, gushing wounds and extreme bruising." Garcia explained as she looked through pictures of a much younger Greg Wilson. "Finally, when he was fifteen, his Mom was arrested for abuse."

"A life well spent, huh?" Paige whispered back, deep in concentration.

"Paige?"

"Huh?" She replied, stepping out of her dazed state.

"Are you okay?"

"Not really."

"But?"

"But? I have to find Spencer." Paige retorted.

"Correct. Just making sure. Talk to you later."

"Bye." Paige hadn't slept last night due to the phone call they had gotten. She chewed on her lip as she wrote down facts about Greg Wilson's life on the board. Abused by mom, stressor, psychiatrist who kills his patients, check. But, he had mentioned that he's changing his MO because of the three he has. A little girl, and Prentiss and Reid.

Where would a psychiatrist hide his victims?

_?_

_Wednesday 9:09 A.M._

"That's quite a cough you've got." Ginny said, trying to ease her cellmates pain and make small talk. She lifted what she could of her busted lips into a smile.

"Yeah…" Reid answered, not really sure what to say. He dragged himself against the wall to sit up. His legs felt involuntarily weak, and his eyes hurt. He couldn't find Prentiss, which gave him horrible anxiety. "So, how did he get you exactly?" He asked, deciding to give in to temptation.

"Walking to Mom's work. She works at the front desk. He grabbed me before I could even get in."

Reid chuckled. "I'm not even sure how he got us out without anyone seeing."  
He admitted. They laughed slowly together, trying to become fast friends.

"I wasn't really sure, either. But, I'm sure the police are all over it. There is two cops missing." Ginny pointed out, remembering the phone call, and Greg calling them police.

"FBI."

"What?"

Reid laughed. "Prentiss and I are from the FBI. All three of us are very valuable. My friends are busting their butts to find us, no doubt."

"Tell me about them." Ginny suggested.

"Okay." He paused, collecting his thoughts for a moment, then began. "Well, first there's Hotch. He's the chief leader of the BAU. He cares about the team a lot. He never smiles, but it's okay, because I think we all know he's saving those smiles for his son, Jack. His wife had been murdered."

"Oh wow. He sounds like a nice man."

"He is. They all are nice people." Reid smiled as he said this, his mind absent in memories of laughter and jokes. "Then, there's Rossi. He helped create the BAU. He's really famous for his books and lectures. He came back, because he had some 'unfinished business'. He has a great insight."

"I think I've seen his books in the True Crime sections of bookstores." Ginny replied, nodding.

"And, now we have Morgan. He's our go to guy for tackling anyone we need to stop running. He's smart, and he's really muscular. Let's just say, all the ladies love him." Reid laughed. "He's my best friend."

"He sounds reliable and sweet." Ginny said.

"He is. And, Prentiss, when she came, she was a bit more…silent. She was getting used to us. Personally, I think Prentiss is beautiful. She's also so nice, and smart, and yeah…basically everything I've said about everyone else." He glanced up at Ginny. "I'm terrible at explanations."

"You're doing fine! Who else?"

"Well, Paige."

"Paige." Ginny said with a smile, and a giggle. "I've been waiting for this."

"Paige. Paige is…beautiful, nice, sweet, brave, intelligent, caring. Um, I don't know." Reid replied, blushing.

"There has to be more. She's Paige! Tell me her full name." Ginny ordered, scooting closer to Reid.

"Paige Ivy-Mae Singer." He answered.

"Beautiful name." Ginny said dreamily. She looked up at Reid, and leaned against him. "What are some weird things you love about her?"

"I love the way she keeps boxes of Kit Kats around. I love her red car. I love the way she laughs. I love how she took in her little brother after her Mom was killed. I love the way she uses her sarcasm. I love her hair. I think what I love the most, though, is the way she always falls asleep on my shoulder." Reid answered honestly, his gaze deep and far away, envisioning Paige.

"You really love her." Ginny stated, sounding matter of fact like.

"Yeah." Reid said, smiling to himself. Suddenly, a shrill scream came from a smaller room of the already small, dark room. The door was shoved open, revealing Prentiss, beaten up. She couldn't stand on her feet, so she had to use the wall as a cane. She groaned as she went along, until she finally got down on all four, and crawled over to Reid and Ginny. Her hair was wild and matted with dried blood encrusted on it. Her face had smudges of dirt, and traces of what used to be mascara and eye liner.

"Prentiss, are you alright?" Reid asked, snaking his long arm around her, and propping her up. She moaned, and closed her eyes.

"I'm fine." She grumbled. She took it upon herself to push herself up, which caused her visible pain. "I'm fine." She repeated.

"Emily, I'm sorry." Reid whispered, squeezing her shoulder. She drew in a long breath, and let it out slowly.

"I'm good. How are you two holding up? Have you gotten anything useful?" She asked, becoming more able to talk.

"No. What about him?" Ginny answered, putting on a poker face. Reid watched her carefully.

"He's brutal, I'll tell you that." Prentiss replied, shaking her head. "Besides that, he doesn't go anywhere." Prentiss looked around the shabby room. It was so dark that it was hard to make out any significant thing.

"I'm sure the team is gaining on him." Reid assured, looking at Prentiss for more of that assurance. She looked at him doubtfully, and shrugged.

"They better." She mumbled.

_MDPD_

_Wednesday, 11:30 A.M._

"Paige, you need to eat." Morgan said as he came into the small conference room she was working in.

"No time to eat." She muttered, disrupting her thinking process. She turned to Morgan. "Got anything?"

"We searched his house, nothing. Although, we found this address book with only one address," Morgan said, holding up a small brown book. He handed it to Paige. "Ask Garcy to trace it, hm?"

Paige's smile was small. "Got it. How's Hotch holding up?"

"Better than you." Morgan told her, shrugging. Paige rolled her eyes, and picked up her phone.

"I'm calling Garcia know, so you can leave."

"Don't have to ask me twice." Morgan smiled, and left, closing the door behind him.

"Hello, this is Penelope Garcia, Goddess of all knowing and amazingness." Garcia shouted into the phone, hurting Paige's ear a bit.

"Hullo. I got an address for you!" Paige replied, opening the book and flipping to a marked page.

"Give it to me!"

"Okay- 446 Saint Lyle Street, Detroit Michigan." Paige said, reading off the paper like a script.

"Give me a min- got it." Penelope boasted imperiously. "It's another house on the far side of the D."

"Got it. Anything on it?"

"Bought by a Mister Greg Wilson three years ago. Has two levels, main and a basement. The electric bill hasn't been paid, so there's no electricity at all."

"Got it. Thanks Garcia."

"No problema Paige-ah." She yelled as she punched the end call button. Paige chuckled, and went to find Hotch.

**I know, it's shorter than what I'm used to, but I got sidetracked in the last couple of weeks. Thank you for waiting, and there is plenty more to come. I'm also just trying to stretch out the span of how long their (Prentiss and Reid) are gone. Therefore, I bid you adieu. – Rage908**


	10. Imagine

**I'll try and make this painless. – Rage908**

"_**Super boy take a little chance here, I don't wanna, I don't think so." – Sonic Youth**_

_MDPD_

_Wednesday, 2:00 P.M._

Music always calmed Paige Singer down. Especially in a situation like this, she was in dire need of music. She loved the feel of the music, the drums making her heart race, the guitar stealing her breath away. She shivered in cold delight as she rifled through her bag for her iPod. Morgan and Hotch went to the house of Wilson to find some more clues, while Rossi sat outside the conference room, thinking. Paige didn't know how he thought for so long, she usually lost track of what she was thinking. She was lost cause, but she shrugged it off, putting the headphones in her corresponding ears.

She tapped her foot to a slow beat, working its way up slowly. She smiled widely as she stared the white board down. She would have to wait for the others to get back before she could get anywhere with this. She realized what could be happening, everyone did- this just could be a goose chase that Wilson made for them. She scowled at this thought. No way could he outsmart them. No way. Sighing, she sat down, still trying to think the way Rossi did.

Suddenly, the whole team, minus the obvious, was standing behind her. Paige whirled around, tearing the headphones out of her ears. Hotch looked at her grimly, but noticed the purple bags underneath her eyes. She was a wreck, and there was no way she was going to be able to sleep until they were found. Paige's smile was small, but enough to assure that she was fine for today. "What did you guys find?" She whispered.

"Nothing. Just another house." Morgan said, his anger flooding out of him. Paige imagined him with steam coming out of his ears. Priceless. She giggled, but stopped when they all looked at her like she was mad. "If I were a psychiatrist, where would I hide my victims?" Morgan asked himself aloud. Paige thought hard for a second, then snapped in the air.

"If I were a killing machine psychiatrist, I'd want to keep my victims where their worst fears come alive." She told him, but received weird looks from everyone. "What…?" She mumbled, looking to the floor.

"Like?" Rossi asked, trying to make Paige think harder. He knew she was a strong thinker, stronger than she realizes. She was terribly smart, but didn't show her knowledge off. She couldn't- she didn't know it. But, that was the thing that made Rossi laugh- she did not know that she was an incredibly wise. He chuckled himself, then settled into one of the chairs.

"A basement, very dark. A bomb shelter. Somewhere secluded and dark. Somewhere where anything could happen type thing." She answered simply, but Rossi shook his head. They already knew this. She sighed, shrugging. The team didn't move for moments, not until they heard something from the front of the station.

"_Get down, get down. Hands in the air! Put your hands in the air!_" Hotch and Rossi glanced at each other then motioned for everyone to follow them out. The scene was unrealistic. Paige gasped silently, searching for them.

Greg Wilson with his hands in the air, on his knees. He stared at Hotch gravely, and moved through each member. He looked right thru Paige, which pissed her off. He was immediately taken into custody and put in a interrogation room. Hotch turned to his team, looking through who he had left. "Paige, go and break him." Hotch commanded and Paige nodded. She followed the officers into the interrogation room and watched Wilson from the two way glass. Biting her lip, she was planning out what she could say.

"You'll need these." Morgan said from behind her. She turned her upper body, taking the folder with the pictures of the crime scene from him. She sighed aloud, still looking at Wilson. He was sitting there as if it was tea time with the Queen. Paige scowled, she was ready.

"I'm going in. Cover me?" She asked as she went for the door. Morgan nodded, crossing his arms and watching Paige enter the room. She sat at the table across from Wilson carefully. She began laying out the pictures in front of him. "You can tell, Mister Wilson, who is who." She mumbled to Wilson. Wilson laughed heartily.

"I admit to those. Those aren't what I'm here for, Miss Singer. You know what I'm here for. That friend of yours, beautiful doll she is. And that…boyfriend of yours? Honestly, Paige…may I call you that? Why him? I mean, boy's a gangly little thing. Hardly capable of anything." Wilson laughed, but Paige kept a straight face.

"While we are in here I am ma'am or Agent Singer, got it? Now, let's start easy, where are they?" She kept calm, not breaking a sweat.

"You really miss 'im, ey?" Paige flinched.

"More than you know…" She muttered. "But, that's not the point."

"He is pretty brave, almost took a bullet for both girls." Wilson informed her, laughing evilly as her eyes watered up and cringed away from him. Hotch and Rossi watched closely at the interrogation. She was already losing, but no one blamed her. Hotch was concerned, as he was angered. He didn't like sitting by while Singer was tortured, but they all knew she could do it- and handle it.

"Where are they?" She asked with more roughness to her voice. He glared at her furiously.

"Getting angry? Yeah, they all said that you were brave." He laughed again. "They said that you weren't just another pretty face." He leaned over the table, getting into her face. "Maybe that's why he likes you, hm? Because you're another pretty face."

Paige flew out of her seat, banging the table fiercely. She snarled, and shoved Wilson back into his seat. "WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?" She yelled, throwing left over pictures from the file at Wilson. Normally, Hotch would stop this, but she was breaking- and it was bad- but he needed her too. "You know nothing of life, do you, mister Wilson? Because it works in mysterious ways." Paige told him, a bead of sweat trickling down her back. She shivered delicately, but kept her face straight.

Wilson studied her carefully. He stood, and casually walked closer to her. "You're strong, Miss Singer. You're stubborn. Don't get yourself in lots of trouble in the future, hm?" He paused, leaning closer to her face and to her ear. "Besides, we wouldn't want anyone getting hurt," He whispered, but then leaned out and yelled the rest: "Like little brothers, right?" He snickered at the horrified expression on Paige's face as she sank down onto the floor. Her breathing was ragged as she held back tears. Wilson chuckled and looked at the glass where he knew the police were standing.

"243 Fronts Street." He yelled. Suddenly, Morgan was in the room cuffing Wilson and escorting him out. Hotch walked in front of Paige, and offered her a hand. She sighed.

"I screwed it up. I'm sorry."

"No, you didn't. We got an address, didn't we?" Hotch pressed, pulling her to her feet. She stood on her shaking legs, adjusting her shirt. She shrugged, coming up with excuses.

"What if it's a fake?" She whispered. Morgan was back in a second, a look of alarm on his face.

"There's a fire at 243 Front Street." He shouted. Hotch glanced back at Paige and gestured for her to come with him.

"_**It's always somethin', Before the late night, Around the corner, There's always somethin' waitin' for ya, Can't hold the hands back, Can't make the sun rise, It's always somethin'  
You know it's always somethin'." – Cage The Elephant**_

_243 Front Street_

_Wednesday 5:00 P.M._

The house was up still, but was being incinerated by the many flames. The Fire Department was there, but it wasn't enough. The fire was spreading, and two Agents and a child were in the basement. Paige and Hotch could hear a little girl's cries and pleas from the car, which made Paige want to bawl. She resisted, and climbed out of the car. She stood with Morgan, Rossi and Hotch and waited for Hotch's game plan. He was waiting for the Fire Department to put it out, but it was obvious they weren't.

Paige couldn't take much more. "I'm going in." She yelled as she thrust her gun and credentials at Hotch, who looked at her with bewilderment.

"Paige, no!" They all yelled in unison, but she wasn't going to be stopped. She jogged around the house to the back, where the fire hadn't spread to yet. She kicked open the back door, which lead right to the staircase. She put her shirt collar over her mouth and nose and hurried down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, there were no lights on. But, thank God, she always remembered a flashlight. She shined it all around until it came upon a smaller room. She ran up to the door and tried to open it. Locked. Looking around for a key, she thought to herself grimly, _how the hell did this even start? He was in out custody…_

Then it hit her. Wilson intended on starting this fire. It was planned. Give out the address, only for the whole operation to go up in flames. Priceless. When she couldn't find keys, she groaned, and kicked open the door to reveal three blood stained people. "Come on!" She yelled, tossing her hand out to the little girl first. Prentiss and Reid crawled out, then stood with the help of each other. The four ran back to the stairs and the back door.

"Paige?" Rossi called, seeing them emerge from the house. "Paige?"

"Ambulance!" She called back. She could tell the three wanted to stop, but she pushed them on. "I know it's painful, but we need to get you guys as far away as possible." She whispered to them, as she helped drag them over to the street. An ambulance was there in a second, and loaded the little girl on first. Prentiss and Reid watched as the house was watered down. Paige approached them quietly.

Prentiss had two cuts above her right eye, and was very dirty. Her fingers had dried blood underneath them. Reid was cut up too, but all in all they were okay. Just a few stitches, nothing major. Ginny was fine. Nothing had really been done to her, thank God. Her Mother was called from the scene and was asked to meet her daughter at the hospital.

"I'm sorry." Paige mumbled to the two Agents. They sat still, still watching the house as it let off steam.

"We're fine." Prentiss said, smiling. Reid nodded in agreement. He finally looked up and caught Paige's eye. The bags underneath her eyes were hard to miss, and they were red as if she had been crying. Spencer stood, and engulfed her in a huge hug. She smiled into his sweater, chuckling. He rested his head on top of hers, as she rested hers on his chest.

"_**Imagine all the people living life in peace."- John Lennon's Imagine.**_

_Somewhere high in the sky_

_Thursday, 2:00 A.M._

"Kings in the corner?" Paige whispered to Spencer, who was sitting across from her. He smiled and nodded a yes. She pulled out the deck of cards she always had with her and shuffled them. Hotch, Rossi, Morgan, and Prentiss were asleep as they flew back to Quantico. Reid stayed up with Paige just because she couldn't go to sleep. She didn't want to know what dreams were lying ahead for her. She couldn't shake the memories of talking to Wilson. They would come back to haunt her, no doubt.

Paige dealt six cards to the both of them, then laid out four cards like a compass rose on the table before them. North, East, South, West, then placed the rest of the deck in the center. "You remember how to play?" Reid asked, scanning his cards.

"Of course. I'm a master Kings in the Corner player." She teased, scanning her cards as well.

Reid smirked and snickered. "Just like how you're a master Scrabble player, huh?" Paige laughed, trying to quiet herself, but failing. Spencer drew a card then laid a three on top of a four, then moved the two cards on top of a five. He then laid an ace down on the empty spot. Paige grimaced. He was playing cut throat. Paige drew a card, them laid the ace on top of the two. She then set down a six and put the growing pile on top of that. She thrust out a king and put it in between two of the four piles. Then, filling the empty spot, she laid a ten. Spencer smirked at her.

Warm feelings- as cliché as it sounded- filled Paige's body.

It was truly the best feeling in the world to have Spencer back.

_B.A.U Headquarters_

_Thursday, 4:00 A.M._

The team sighed, yawned, and moaned when they got back to Quantico. They were greeted by Garcia, who was technically supposed to be home. She squealed as she saw Prentiss and Reid, and ran up to them. She hugged them tightly, not letting go for the longest time.

"You guys need to stop getting into so much trouble!" She scolded mercilessly, but kept a warm smile on her face. "I love you all too much." She mumbled as she flipped through the faces of her friends. Morgan flung an arm around her, and squeezed her tightly. Hotch and Rossi went to their offices while the others stayed out by their desks and chatted for a while, not having the urge to go home so early. Garcia sighed and stood to get everyone's attention. "Someone's here to see all of us…" She finally came out with what she seemed to be hiding. She scampered back into her office.

"Who do you suppose it is?" Prentiss asked suspiciously. Morgan shrugged, tossing pieces of balled up paper into his trashcan. Paige smiled and shrugged, while Reid put a long arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, yawning. Suddenly, Penelope was back, dragging an older man behind her. The man had gray hair, and his mouth was slightly hanging open. His two front teeth were spaced a little tiny bit away from each other. Spencer gasped, letting his arm drop away from Paige as he took a step toward the man.

"Spencer? You have a girlfriend?" The man asked confused as all get out. Penelope nodded excitedly and promised to tell the man all about it later. Morgan and Emily stood up, and shook the mans hand. Hotch and Rossi emerged from their offices, and greeted the man as well. Spencer still stood in his place, shocked. Hotch hugged the man sincerely.

Finally, Spencer decided to say something.

"…Gideon…?..."

**I know…so short. But, more to come. Why is Gideon there? Was the threat about Jonas going to mean something? Will Paige's grandparents forgive her? Will Paige ever get around to explaining why I THE AUTHOR never thought to include her Mothers funeral or her going to A Narcotics Anonymous meeting? Who the heck knows, ya know? Sorry I never included those two pretty important details. It seemed Paige just kind of got off her habit too quickly, so I'm gonna have her go back and explain that part. You'll also get a peek into Jonas's lifestyle and thoughts. **

**-Rage908**


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